Sutcliffe marketing campaign recordsdata fundraising grievance towards Horizon Ottawa

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Ottawa mayoral candidate Mark Sutcliffe’s marketing campaign is searching for an investigation into fundraising and campaign-support efforts of a third-party advertiser backing certainly one of his high-profile opponents.

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The workplace of metropolis clerk Rick O’Connor confirmed Wednesday it had acquired a grievance from the Sutcliffe marketing campaign towards Horizon Ottawa, which has disclosed assist for Catherine McKenney for mayor and for different candidates for metropolis councillor positions within the Oct. 24 municipal election.

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Sutcliffe’s marketing campaign, as first reported by Postmedia columnist Brian Lilley Wednesday, referred to as for an investigation into whether or not Horizon Ottawa, as a third-party advertiser this election, has accepted money donations above the restrict of $1,200 and whether or not the group violated Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act over presents to coach candidates and marketing campaign employees for candidates it might be backing.

Nonetheless, the assertion from O’Connor’s workplace Wednesday mentioned town clerk has no function in investigating such allegations of improper fundraising beneath the Municipal Elections Act.

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“Extra particularly, the Election Compliance Audit Committee (ECAC) is the quasi-judicial physique answerable for reviewing and making selections on functions for municipal election marketing campaign finance compliance audits,” the assertion added.

It went on to say that, for the 2022 municipal election, the primary date a compliance audit software could possibly be accepted could be April 3, 2023. The time period of the 5 present ECAC members concludes Nov. 15. A successor committee is to be established by Oct. 1.

A screenshot of a earlier model of the Horizon Ottawa election 2022 donation webpage confirmed prompt quantities of $25, $50, $100, $250, $1,000 and $2,500, plus a tab marked “Different Quantities.”

The up to date model of the web page reveals $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,200 and “Different Quantity.”

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Jaime Sadgrove, a Horizon Ottawa volunteer and spokesperson, mentioned the group’s authentic webpage for donations had been repurposed for the municipal election marketing campaign and one hyperlink — the one for $2,500 — had been missed in the course of the replace. As nicely, the unique webpage had linked to a common checking account that might not be used for the marketing campaign; a separate account particularly for election donations had since been created, Sadgrove mentioned.

Probably the most anyone contributor can cumulatively give to 2 or extra events registered in the identical municipality is $5,000. The Municipal Elections Act requires that “every contributor is knowledgeable {that a} contributor shall not make a contribution exceeding” the respective limits of $1,200 and $5,000 when making a donation.

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The marketing campaign web sites of Sutcliffe and one other high-profile candidate, Bob Chiarelli, show such notes. The web site of McKenney’s marketing campaign didn’t as of Wednesday night, although it linked to a Metropolis of Ottawa “Contribution Rebate Program” webpage with references to each limits.

Horizon Ottawa issued an announcement on behalf of its board, saying the group knew the foundations nicely and “acquired authorized recommendation to make sure that we have been all above-board previous to registering.” That assertion additionally mentioned Horizon Ottawa had not and wouldn’t settle for donations over $1,200 as a 3rd celebration, would publish names for all these donating greater than $100 two days earlier than the Oct. 24 election and would guarantee it corrected clerical errors if and once they arose.

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“The Sutcliffe marketing campaign is spending time and vitality making an attempt to discredit a volunteer-driven group, time that might as a substitute be spent connecting with group members and speaking Sutcliffe’s imaginative and prescient for town,” the assertion added.

In response to a question from this newspaper, Sutcliffe’s marketing campaign mentioned Wednesday solely that it might “affirm Brian Lilley’s reporting from earlier right this moment. We’re sadly not out there for additional touch upon this problem right this moment.”

Provincial third-party advertiser election guidelines say a person convicted of an offence beneath the Municipal Elections Act could also be topic to penalties together with a tremendous of as a lot as $25,000; a jail sentence of so long as six months; being dominated ineligible to register as a third-party advertiser till after the following common election; or, if convicted of bribery or different corrupt practices, being dominated ineligible to vote or run within the subsequent common election.

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As nicely, a company or commerce union convicted of committing an offence could also be topic to a tremendous of as much as $50,000 and ineligibility to register to be a third-party advertiser till after the following election.

If a third-party advertiser is convicted of exceeding a spending restrict, they could even be fined the quantity by which they exceeded the restrict, the rules say.

The complaints from Sutcliffe’s marketing campaign comply with what the candidate described as a “smear marketing campaign” towards him that started with critiques by Horizon Ottawa {that a} fundraising occasion he took half in final weekend, for which attendees have been invited to donate $1,200 — the marketing campaign most, was a “money for entry” occasion.

The occasion web page for the fundraising occasion at a Lansdowne Park condominium on Sept. 10 listed a $1,200 “attendance payment” matching the utmost particular person contribution, though Sutcliffe advised Postmedia earlier this week he believed that determine was solely a suggestion and a variety of quantities beneath the utmost have been donated by those that attended.

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Subsequently, Horizon Ottawa flagged in social media posts and a media launch a 2016 Ottawa Citizen column written by Sutcliffe during which he criticized each the governing Ontario Liberal authorities’s participation in fundraisers the place tickets bought for 1000’s of {dollars} earned companies entry to authorities decision-makers and the foundations that allowed it to occur.

Election Compliance Audit Committee

Below the provincial Municipal Elections Act, an Election Compliance Audit Committee (ECAC) is obligatory for all municipalities and faculty boards. The Metropolis of Ottawa’s ECAC has 5 members. The present committee’s time period ends on Nov. 14. A brand new committee is to be established by Oct. 1 for the following time period ending Nov. 14, 2026.

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The ECAC opinions and makes selections on functions for municipal election marketing campaign finance compliance audits, in addition to on reviews from town clerk on potential violations of election contribution limits. The committee can appoint an auditor to overview marketing campaign funds and, within the case of these audits or in contemplating reviews from town clerk, resolve whether or not or to not launch authorized motion towards a candidate, third-party advertiser or donor who seems to have gone over the set contribution limits.

Who can submit functions for compliance audits?

Any eligible elector who believes a candidate or third-party advertiser has gone towards marketing campaign finance guidelines. Standards embody being a Canadian citizen at the least 18 years of age and both a resident/land proprietor/tenant within the native municipality or the partner of such an proprietor or tenant. They need to additionally not be prohibited from voting, comparable to a company or anybody serving a jail or jail sentence.

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When can functions for compliance audits be submitted?

The primary date functions could be accepted for the 2022 municipal elections is April 3, 2023.

Functions have to be submitted inside 90 days of the newest of the next dates: the preliminary monetary assertion submitting date (deadline March 31, 2023); the date which a candidate filed an preliminary monetary assertion, if filed inside 30 days after the relevant submitting date; the candidate’s supplementary submitting date, if there was one (deadline Sept. 29, 2023); and the date on which any extension the candidate could have gotten expires.