Money collected in a GoFundMe campaign to fix a St. Catharines, Ont., councillor’s broken window in a rock-throwing incident is set to be returned.
In a joint statement, the two politicians involved, Karrie Porter and Laura Ip, said $2,460 in cash would be refunded after regional integrity commissioners suggested there may be a violation if they accepted the donations.
Ip launched the initiative, arguing that Porter should not have to pay for damages due to “someone’s cowardly and egregious” attack. She also suggested the fundraiser would be a sign of community support.
“Sadly, the first goal cannot be accomplished, as it brings with it the real threat of integrity commissioner complaints,” the councillors said.
The drive was in response to an early morning incident on Jan. 30 at Porter’s home when a large stone was thrown through her window (warning: link contains strong language).
Both councillors say integrity commissioners Michael Maynard (Niagara region) and John Mascarin (St. Catharines) advised that there is no violation in initiating and administering the fundraiser, however, issues arise if Porter accepts the donations.
Porter and Ip have notably been the subject of reported attacks in the community and say they’ve been subjected to “ongoing harassment and abuse” for more than three years.
In a late January statement, Mayor Walter Sendzik revealed recent attacks against city politicians following an occurrence in which his home and vehicle were spray-painted.
Porter’s home was also the target of a spray-paint attack last fall, as was St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle’s car.
“Tensions have never been higher over a number of issues and concerns,” Sendzik said.
“Social media has become a toxic place for people to polarize and divide.”
Porter made a public apology in early 2021 after the city’s integrity commissioner found she broke sections of the code of conduct in a search for a person believed to have been harassing her online.
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