SCOOP: No receipt? No constit cash for these candidates
Also: Grits kick-off leadership review, Smokey speaks, Naqvi's thin blue line, Stiles hits the road, staff moves and more
ABOVE THE FOLD
First in Queen’s Park Observer — Dozens of riding associations will lose out on thousands of dollars because their candidates still haven’t filed campaign receipts.
I’ve been parsing receipts from the spring election — but something is missing. Candidates of all stripes still haven’t submitted their campaign finance returns, which were legally due to Elections Ontario on December 2.
There’s a lot to lose. Per Elections Ontario, those who don’t file at all are prohibited from being candidates in the next provincial election. Candidates who did not file their returns by January 3 lose the quarterly allowance for Q4 for their constituency association. (Quarterly allowances are part of the per-vote subsidy parties get based on their share of ballots.)
How big of a hit is that? Constituency associations need that cash for their organizing efforts and ground game during election time. They host meetings and events with local partisans, run candidate searches and help make signs and mailers.
They are also often the first place constituents go for help from their MPP.
But 41 PCs, 23 Liberals, 21 NDPers and four Greens will take a financial hit at the constit level because they did not file on time. They are:
🔵 PCs, starting with cabinet ministers:
GEORGE PIRIE (Timmins): $4,439
STEVE CLARK (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes): $4,029
MICHAEL TIBOLLO (Vaughan—Woodbridge): $3,802
RAYMOND CHO (Scarborough North): $3,419
MICHAEL KERZNER (York Centre): $3,228
GRAYDON SMITH (Parry Sound—Muskoka): $3,176
STAN CHO (Willowdale): $3,154
CHARMAINE WILLIAMS (Brampton Centre): $2,820
PC backbenchers and candidates:
HARDEEP GREWAL (Brampton East): $3,132
GRAHAM MCGREGOR (Brampton North): $3,111
AMARJOT SANDHU (Brampton West): $3,342
GOLDIE GHAMARI (Carleton): $3,335
ANTHONY LEARDI (Essex): $3,503
STÉPHANE SARRAZIN (Glengarry—Prescott—Russell): $2,920
KEN HEWITT (Haldimand—Norfolk): $2,096
FRED BENNINK (Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas): $2,273
RIC BRESEE (Hastings—Lennox and Addington): $3,242
PAUL NGUYEN (Humber River—Black Creek): $2,137
GARY BENNETT (Kingston and the Islands): $1,732
JIM SCHMIDT (Kitchener Centre): $1,818
JESS DIXON (Kitchener South—Hespeler): $2,765
JOHN JORDAN (Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston): $3,519
JANE KOVARIKOVA (London—Fanshawe): $2,307
NATALIA KUSENDOVA (Mississauga Centre): $3,105
DEEPAK ANAND (Mississauga—Malton): $3,060
NINA TANGRI (Mississauga—Streetsville): $3,236
ERIC CÔTÉ (Mushkegowuk—James Bay): $2,494
LISA MACLEOD (Nepean): $2,699
FRED DAVIES (Niagara Centre): $2,565
ALEX DOWN (Oshawa): $2,744
DAVE SMITH (Peterborough—Kawartha): $2,630
ROSS ROMANO (Sault Ste. Marie): $3,329
SAL SORRENTO (St. Catharines): $2,409
NOLAN QUINN (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry): $3,920
BRET SNIDER (Scarborough Southwest): $1,932
KEVIN HOLLAND (Thunder Bay—Atikokan): $2,563
PENG YOU (Thunder Bay—Superior North): $2,186
JESS GODDARD (Toronto Centre): $848
ANDREW AITKEN (Waterloo): $2,026
ANDREW DOWIE: (Windsor—Tecumseh): $3,187
DWIGHT MONCK (Kiiwetinoong): $2,041
🟠 New Democrats:
PEKKA REINIO (Barrie—Innisfil): $1,314
SARA SINGH (Brampton Centre): $1,817
GURRATAN SINGH (Brampton East): $2,194
ANDRIA BARRETT (Brampton South): $1,313
HARVEY BISCHOF (Brantford—Brant): $1,996
KAREN GVENTER (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound): $964
MARJORIE KNIGHT (Cambridge): $1,513
KEVIN ST. DENIS (Carleton): $1,085
TESS PRENDERGAST (Dufferin—Caledon): $746
ERIC DEPOE (Hastings—Lennox and Addington): $1,296
MATTHEW HENRIQUES (Markham—Thornhill): $630
SENTHIL MAHALINGAM (Markham—Unionville): $507
KATHERINE CIRLINCIONE (Milton): $663
NICHOLAS RABBA (Mississauga—Streetsville): $851
BRIAN DOUBLE (Nepean): $1,329
DAVE AUGUSTYN (Niagara West): $1,424
DYLAN STELPSTRA (Sarnia—Lambton): $1,624
NEETHAN SHAN (Scarborough Centre): $1,847
JUSTIN KONG (Scarborough North): $1,303
ELIZABETH VAN HOUTTE (Simcoe North): $1,218
DIANE BALLANTYNE (Wellington—Halton Hills): $1,069
🔴 Liberals:
AMBER BOWEN (Ajax): $2,533
JANNAT GAREWAL (Brampton East): $1,492
HARINDER MALHI (Brampton North): $1,989
MARILYN RAPHAEL (Brampton South): $1,909
RIMMY JHAJJ (Brampton West): $1,832
MARIAM MANAA (Burlington): $2,030
AUDREY FESTERYGA (Chatham-Kent—Leamington): N/A (Since Festeryga withdrew her candidacy amid allegations of fraudulent signatures, the riding association doesn’t qualify for the allowance. It received $553 for Q1 and Q2.)
GRANVILLE ANDERSON (Durham): $1,746
HEATHER JACKSON (Elgin—Middlesex—London): $2,885
JULIE LUTETE (Etobicoke North): $1,632
EKATERINI DIMAKIS (Hamilton Centre): $930
JASON FARR (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek): $1,580
CHANTALE LACHANCE (Hamilton Mountain): $1,080
ISMAIL MOHAMED (Kitchener South—Hespeler): $1,130
VANESSA LALONDE (London West): $855
SUMIRA MALIK (Mississauga Centre): $2,586
TERRY FLYNN (Niagara Centre): $908
KANIZ MOULI (Oakville North—Burlington): $2,430
ASHLEY FOX (Perth—Wellington): $1,104
ROOZBEH FARHADI (Richmond Hill): $2,260
TED CRYSLER (Simcoe—Grey): $1,547
DAVID FARROW (Sudbury): $1,371
LINDA MCCURDY (Windsor West): $911
🟢 Greens:
CATHERINE KIEWNING (Kenora—Rainy River): $265
ZACHARY TYPHAIR (Kingston and the Islands): $231
MARLENE SPRUYT (Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston): $474
PATRICK MACKLEM (Parkdale—High Park): $422
This is the last election where this data applies — the per-vote subsidy, and quarterly allowances, are being phased out by December 31, 2024. But campaigns don’t come cheap — (check out our exclusive on the receipts) — so instead, the PCs raised fundraising limits to help offset the loss for political parties.
At the time, the move got mixed reviews: some democracy advocates suggested it was a good thing for citizens to bankroll elections, rather than the parties, because fundraising is a lot less transparent and raises cash-for-access concerns. Others were happy parties won’t be using taxpayer dollars for such partisan endeavours.
HAPPENING TODAY
DOUG FORD’S WEDNESDAY — 8:30 a.m.: Premier DOUG FORD will speak to the Mississauga Board of Trade over breakfast and a “fireside” chat. It’s a photo-op only, but reporters will probably try to sneak in a few questions anyway. Invite.
LIBERAL LEADERSHIP REVIEW — 7:30 p.m.: The Grits are kicking off consultations on their leadership process, with possible changes coming ahead of the actual contest, for which we’ll get details at the party convention in March. Tonight is an “online session that will offer an opportunity for you to participate in thought-provoking discussions about the various ways we can select our next Leader.” RSVP.
As first reported in this newsletter, the Liberals’ big campaign debrief report recommended consultations on the leadership election process itself. Spoiler alert: Party members rejected a motion to go to a one-member, one-vote system, sticking to a delegated convention in the last round. Catch up on our scoop.
MEET AND GREET WITH MARIT — 6:30 p.m.: Incoming NDP Leader MARIT STILES is back on the road, headlining a meet-and-greet session in Windsor alongside local MPP LISA GRETZKY. It goes down at the local Unifor HQ. Invite.
— 10:45 a.m.: Education Minister STEPHEN LECCE and local MPP LAURA SMITH are in Thornhill for a funding announcement for Reena, a community residence for folks living with developmental disabilities. The centre is getting $150,000 via the Ontario Trillium Foundation to help fix its rooftop heating and ventilation units.
IN OTHER NEWS…
— SMOKEY SPEAKS: “The lawyers for WARREN (SMOKEY) THOMAS, the former president of the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union, are rejecting a multi-million dollar lawsuit against him and two others, which they say is ‘riddled with errors, falsehoods, and untrue allegations.’” CP24 has the story.
— THIN BLUE LINE: “When the Ontario Provincial Police began using Palantir Technologies’s controversial Gotham database product in 2015, it was an ‘operational issue’ and didn’t cross the desk of the minister responsible for them, said a spokesperson for that minister, Ottawa politician [and potential provincial Liberal leadership contestant] YASIR NAQVI. The Logic revealed in the fall that the OPP has had a contract with U.S.-based Palantir for its ‘analytical platform,’ after pursuing details through access-to-information law for nearly a year. After publication, the Ontario government supplied one additional detail: the Palantir contract began on June 1, 2015.” Full story at The Logic.
— WHAT THE LEFT IS READING: “Doug Ford Pitches Private Surgeries Offered By His Donors As Solution to Ontario’s Health Care Crisis,” by PressProgress.
— WHAT THE RIGHT IS READING: “There are lots of reasons to be skeptical about the premier’s new health-care plan. But if he gets some knees and hips replaced along the way, that could change lives,” by Matt Gurney at TVO.
— Speaking of boosting private health clinics: “As Ontario moves to allow private clinics to perform more surgeries, Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU said he'll be watching to ensure the principles of Canada's universal public system are respected.”
Also: “Ford's announcement caught the ire of federal NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH, who sounded alarm bells in a statement claiming that Ford was handing part of Ontario's health-care system over to for-profit corporations at the expense of patients.” CTV News has the story.
— SOMEBODY FIRE PHIL: “PHIL VERSTER’s salary as head of Metrolinx is outrageous, but what’s worse is that we get so little for it,” writes Sun columnist Brian Lilley. “The transit chief for the GTHA has been getting roasted on social media over his $838,961 salary in 2021 — it’s gone up by leaps and bounds, people say with justifiable anger — but the Ford government is defending it.”
— SPOTTED: Lecce and Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER at ex-MPP JEREMY ROBERTS’s democracy class at U of T’s Munk School.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
First in Queen’s Park Observer — STAFFING UP — BROCK TERRY is the newest senior policy adviser in Associate Mental Health and Addictions MICHAEL TIBOLLO’s office. SHELBY OCHSHORN is now his comms adviser and MPP liaison.
BEYOND THE BUBBLE — MIKE JANCIK has landed at Deloitte, as director of its Future of Canada Centre. Queen’s Park veterans will remember Jancik as then-premier KATHLEEN WYNNE’s deputy principal secretary and, before that, as chief of staff to the president of the Treasury Board.
POLANYI PRIZE — Lieutenant Governor ELIZABETH DOWDESWELL, Colleges and Universities Minister JILL DUNLOP and Dr. JOHN POLANYI, Nobel Laureate in chemistry, awarded the 2022 Polanyi Prize to top researchers in chemistry, economic science, physics and physiology/medicine at Queen’s Park yesterday. And the winners are:
Dr. ALANA OGATA, University of Toronto, Chemistry
Dr. MICHAEL STEPNER, University of Toronto, Economic Science
Dr. ISABELLA HUBERMAN, University of Toronto, Literature
Dr. JOSHUA SPEAGLE, University of Toronto, Physics
Dr. KIERAN QUINN, University of Toronto, Physiology/Medicine
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
— Christopher Chapin, Upstream Strategy Group: Abbott Rapid Diagnostics ULC
— Ishwari Sawant, Crestview Strategy: Pallium Canada
— John Matheson, StrategyCorp: River Valley Developments
— Martin Green, Foresight Strategic Advisors: Toronto Wholesale Produce Association
— Natalie Dash, Campbell Strategies: CRH Canada Group Inc.
— Ian Murray, IAN MURRAY & COMPANY: Air Products Canada LTD
— Jerry Khouri, Pathway Group: Aviva
— Jeffrey Bangs, Pathway Group: Hamilton International Airport
— Jeffrey Bangs, Al MacDermid and Jerry Khouri, Pathway Group: Bruce Trail Conservancy
In-house organizations: Pfizer Canada — AstraZeneca Canada —FP Canada — Advanced Biofuels Canada — Futurpreneur Canada — Medtronic Canada — Kyndryl Canada — First Gulf Corp — Mastercard Canada.
⌛ COUNTDOWN: T-minus 30 days until the Premier has to call a byelection in Hamilton Centre…17 days until MARIT STILES takes lead of the NDP…34 days until the House reconvenes….72 days until the budget is legally due out.