Caledon voters were able to cast their ballots today as early voting began, but one candidate running for a regional council position is accusing the incumbent of breaking the election laws.
Kevin Corrigan said he’s been knocking on doors for weeks in an attempt to get elected to the Caledon Regional Council. But supporters soon began informing him of the Ward 2 incumbent Johanna Downey giving out free tickets with her campaign material.
Outside the early polling station, Corrigan showed off one of Downey’s mailers with a ticket to the Brampton Fall Fair stapled to it. The ticket is for free entry to the fair for a child, which Corrigan said would have cost $5 at the fair gates.
“Effectively it’s like putting a five dollar bill to campaign literature” said Corrigan, who spoke to a lawyer about whether or not it was legal. Corrigan said he was told it in fact broke the Municipal Elections Act, which states no person can offer or give any valuable consideration in connection with someone’s vote or non-vote.
“I have my own supporters now that are saying things now like ‘I thought it was nice of her, ’cause it’s for the kids,'” he said. “If I had been handing out cases of beer, I think people would have realized this pretty quick.”
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After complaining first to the town, Corrigan has spoken to the police, from whom he is waiting to hear back. Nine other candidates have added their names to his complaint, including current regional councillor Barb Shaughnessy.
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“It really is a huge stumbling block for any candidate who’s trying to be the challenger, or for anybody, said Shaughnessy, who is currently running for mayor.
Downey told Global News she was approached by the Brampton Fall Fair board to hand out the tickets. She said her volunteers delivered up to 3,000 tickets to a neighborhood the fair was having trouble reaching. But before doing so, Downey said she spoke to her lawyer who assured her no laws were being broken.
“There is no monetary value and they are not a corporate resource,” said Downey. The vouchers, she added, are available for free across the town at grocery and hardware stores.
Downey added that she has always been supportive of the local agricultural community and was only trying to help promote the fair.
Outside the polling station, some voters like Domenic Pileggi don’t buy Downey’s explanation. “If they were free,” said Pileggi, “why don’t you just put them at the town hall, say, ‘Hey, we have tickets here for free,’ or give them to the library?”
Ward 2 resident Sam Prewer agrees. “Even if it’s not something that’s going to cost her money or cost anybody else any money,” he said, “I think puts it in the back of your mind to vote for her because she gave you something.”
But Jaskarangit Singh said he found the complaints laughable because the tickets are already widely available for free.
A Town of Caledon spokesperson said in a statement that the municipality is aware of the complaint and if anyone feels the law was broken, they should pursue it in court.
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