Mayor calls alleged election fundraising issues 'extremely troubling,' official complaint launched
Calgary's current mayor says the allegations levelled against the campaign for a candidate hoping to replace him are "deeply troubling" if true as the city's election nears. There are accusations that Jeff Davison's mayoral campaign coordinated with a third-party advertiser (TPA) in hosting a golf tournament fundraiser.
An official complaint has now been launched with Elections Alberta against Davison's team.
"These allegations, if true, are extremely troubling," Mayor Naheed Nenshi said.
"They are a violation of the spirit of the law as well as potentially a violation of the law itself."
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."
"The reason we'd be concerned about cooperation between a campaign and a third party advertiser is the worry that the campaign is using this as a way to get around the ban on corporate or union contributions," said Lisa Young, a political scientist with the University of Calgary.
"One of the things that worried me is the idea that the third party that was inviting to the golf tournament was offering that, for a $10,000 contribution, you could be the person or the group that's offering the questions of the candidate. That suggested that the candidate was going to be there," Young said.
Davison's campaign did not respond to a request from CTV News for an interview or statement.
'IT'S ABOUT TRUST'
Jan Damery, another mayoral candidate in the upcoming municipal election, filed the complaint to Elections Alberta last week.
"We were seeing on distribution lists that were widely public what appeared to be a violation of campaign rules," Damery said.
"It's about trust, it's about integrity and it's about leadership -- and I'm really questioning the leadership of this campaign and this councillor," she said.
Jan Damery, July 27, 2021 in Calgary, Alberta
Elections Alberta does not publicly comment on investigations it may or may not be conducting.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
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.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
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.