Patrick Brown ad in Orillia newspaper may have broken Ontario election rules
The NDP is crying foul after Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown's campaign ran an ad in an Orillia newspaper the day before today's provincial byelection in the area.
The half-page ad, which targets Premier Kathleen Wynne's Liberals, ran on page A2 of the Orillia Packet and Times on Wednesday, even though the province's Election Finances Act requires a blackout period for advertising on the day before and of a vote.
- ANALYSIS | Could PC leader Patrick Brown lose the Simcoe North byelection?
Brown, previously the MP for Barrie, needs to win Thursday's Simcoe North byelection to get a seat at Queen's Park.
The Ontario NDP, represented by Elizabeth Van Houtte in the byelection, notified Elections Ontario about the Progressive Conservatives' ad.
"Voters expect every party and every candidate to play by the rules," said Karla Webber-Gallagher, the NDP's provincial secretary, in a news release.
"We have written to Elections Ontario to request an investigation into the PC Party's apparent failure to respect Ontario's election laws."
Tamara Macgregor, a spokeswoman for Brown, said the campaign is looking into the issue and has been in touch with Elections Ontario. Macgregor said she believes it's a case of "human error," though she did not say whether that error belonged to the campaign or the newspaper.
Elections Ontario spokesman Andrew Willis couldn't confirm if the ad is being investigated, but said "we're aware of it in the public sphere."
If Elections Ontario finds wrongdoing, the matter could be referred to the Ministry of the Attorney General and possibly the police.
Polls in Simcoe North, meanwhile, opened at 9 a.m. ET Thursday and close at 9 p.m.
The Liberal candidate in Simcoe North is Fred Larsen, a former teacher from Orillia who is trying for a third time to win the seat.
The riding stretches from Orillia to Penetanguishene, Ont.
