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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.