Jeff Davison responds to allegations his campaign is tied to third-party advertising
A Calgary city councillor and mayoral candidate had some impolite words Wednesday in response to allegations his campaign is coordinating with a third-party advertiser, in violation of election laws.
Email invites to a golf tournament were sent out earlier this month by a TPA called Calgary Tomorrow. It asked for individuals and companies to sign up for the event and pledge to sponsor the fundraiser. A $10,000 'Title Sponsor' package includes the opportunity to "ask Jeff Davison questions in Q&A at (the) event," while a $5,000 package includes breakfast with Davison on the day of the tournament.
According to the Local Authorities Election Act, campaigns are not allowed to accept money from corporations or unions. TPAs are allowed, the act states, but those groups are not allowed to coordinate with campaigns to accept corporate and union donations on their behalf.
At the bottom of the golf tournament invite, it states that the "Proceeds from the tournament will be used to conduct election advertising in support of Jeff Davison’s run for mayor."
An official complaint has been launched with Elections Alberta against Jeff Davison's team.
Davison, who represents Ward 6 and is running for mayor in the October civic vote, held a press conference, where he called the allegation, "bulls**t."
"Voters deserve campaign financing that is fair and transparent. For me, this has actually become very personal. I'm a husband, I'm a father of three, I've been in business 20 years, and I've been a city councillor for four," said Davison.
"To simply roll over and have some bulls**t claim made about my integrity and my ethics is unacceptable."
Davison said the complaint is "based on the actions of an overly-enthusiastic volunteer."
"We take this action obviously seriously, and have taken steps to ensure it won't happen again. My campaign has worked diligently to operate within the rules and we will continue to do so. We will work with Elections Alberta to make sure any complaint against this campaign is resolved immediately," he said.
"And I actually agree with the mayor's statement the other day, these elections rules are messy and overly complex. They're actually complex for no reason, I don't think anybody likes them. But the issue here is that Calgarians are concerned about dark money being used to impact the outcome of this election, and I get that and I agree and we need to ensure total transparency."
On Tuesday, Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who is not running for re-election, called the allegations, "extremely troubling."
Davison said third-party advertisers aren't new.
"We know right now that despite their protests, other campaigns are in discussions and are accepting the support of third-party advertisers," he said.
"Political opponents make baseless accusations when a candidate is gaining ground as a front-runner and that's nothing more than what's happening here. When public trust is already low, it's disappointing that campaigns play self-serving political games that undermine our very democracy."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Biscuits with possible plastic pieces, metal found in ground pork: Here are the recalls for this week
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.