Latest news with #ElectionsBC
CBC
12-08-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Former Elections B.C. IT manager loses appeal over stolen files
Social Sharing A former District of Saanich and Elections B.C. IT manager has lost his appeal of a court order to destroy copies of files that he was found to have leaked to his son. Last June, the B.C. Supreme Court found against Guy Gondor after a drawn-out privacy battle between him and the province, which was seeking to compel Gondor to destroy copies of leaked District of Saanich files. Gondor denied that he provided the private files to his son, Darian, who used them as evidence in a dispute against neighbours, but a judge found on a balance of probabilities that Gondor had made unauthorized copies when he worked as the district's IT manager. That decision was appealed by Gondor, who argued the Supreme Court justice made errors in admitting pieces of expert evidence and in finding that the former IT manager's evidence was not credible. In a ruling Friday, the B.C. Court of Appeal dismissed the argument and said there was no palpable error in the lower court's ruling. "There is no basis shown on which I would overturn the [Supreme Court] judge's findings with respect to the credibility of Mr. Gondor, or the conclusion that he drew that Mr. Gondor had possession of the records outside of his employment," reads the judgment from Justice Elizabeth Bennett. Guy Gondor had worked at the District of Saanich as an IT manager until February 2022. After the Supreme Court ruling last year that ordered him to destroy the files, he parted ways with Elections B.C., where he had been working as the executive director of information technology. Long-running dispute The privacy breach at the heart of the case involving Gondor, the District of Saanich and the provincial attorney general goes back three years. In March 2022, an anonymous person sent two DVDs containing confidential district records to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC). The DVDs contained thousands of internal district files, including 259 records defined as personal information by provincial privacy law, as well as files concerning Gondor's son, Darian. Darian had been fighting with neighbours and the district for years to turn his hilly, Meadowbrook Ridge property into a hobby farm. Court documents show he and his neighbours filed several bylaw complaints against each other, with up to 50 filed against Darian Gondor alone. In March 2022, according to the judgment, Gondor sent the District of Saanich an email complaining about a neighbour cutting down trees. He attached two documents containing personal information, but did not say how he got the files, which he was not authorized to have. It's still unclear who sent the DVDs to the OIPC, but immediately afterwards, the District of Saanich asked the province to intervene in the case of the leaked files. The province then filed a rare petition asking the B.C. Supreme Court to step in. Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the attorney general has the authority to apply for court orders on behalf of a public body to force people to return or destroy private information if they aren't authorized to have it. External firm hired The District of Saanich, which is Vancouver Island's largest municipality, tasked consultancy firm KPMG with investigating the leak once it came to light. A technical investigation by the firm found that in December 2021 and January 2022, Guy Gondor's login information was used to copy more than 2,500 records, including personal information, onto a laptop and USB drive assigned to him. KPMG found in February 2022 that the documents were burned onto two DVDs, alongside 34 additional records. The DVDs contained files that matched the documents that Darian Gondor sent to the district. IT manager denies having files During Supreme Court hearings, Guy Gondor said he did copy the records while building a new laptop for use by the municipality and that he copied them onto a USB drive to see if the laptop was working correctly. He denied he had possession of the files after he left the district, and in his latest appeal, took issue with the Supreme Court's finding that his evidence on the topic wasn't credible. He also said that the judge shouldn't have admitted the KPMG report as evidence, as it was commissioned by the District of Saanich. But, ultimately, the Court of Appeal said the judge's decision to use the report to make his ruling was based on the evidence. It also said that the judge had provided comprehensive evidence for not accepting Gondor's claims that he didn't have the files. "Mr. Gondor has not pointed to any sustainable palpable and overriding error," the appeal ruling added.
Global News
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Defeated BC Conservative claims new evidence of ‘irregularities' in 2024 vote
A BC Conservative candidate who lost his race in October's provincial election by just 22 votes claims he has new evidence of 'irregularities' in the election. Honveer Singh Randhawa was narrowly defeated by NDP Public Safety Minister Gary Begg in Surrey-Guildford, a tight contest that required a judicial recount to settle. The outcome of that race was consequential, giving the NDP 47 seats in the legislature, the bare minimum for a majority government. 2:04 Human error to blame for uncounted votes in B.C. election Earlier this year, Randhawa filed a legal challenge seeking to have the result declared invalid, and on Tuesday, he alleged he had uncovered more evidence of 'irregularities and misconduct.' Story continues below advertisement Randhawa's lawyer said Elections BC confirmed that one person ordered mail-in ballots on behalf of 22 residents of Argyll Lodge, a mental health facility. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He claimed there was no way to be sure those people actually filled out their own ballots. 'This is not a mere irregularity,' said Sunny Uppal, Randhawa's lawyer. 'This is a situation in which one individual ordered 22 mail-in ballots on behalf of vulnerable individuals, and there was no checks and balances in place to ensure that those individuals were not being used as a tool of election fraud.' Randhawa also claims to have found 10 people who say they voted in the riding, despite not living there. He claimed the irregularities constitute multiple violations of the Elections Act. 'Very notable is at the time of the judicial recount, this information was not in front of the judge who was conducting the judicial recount,' he said. 1:19 B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad claims election irregularities In his own response to the suit, filed in February, Begg claimed police warned a BC Conservative operative to stay away from Argyll Lodge in the wake of the election, after the woman allegedly got residents to sign statements 'they could neither read nor understand.' Story continues below advertisement Begg's response claims the woman actually got one resident to move out of the facility, and police found him in a state of 'psychosis' after he was reported missing. The BC Conservative party is not taking part in the legal challenge, however Leader John Rustad has previously said he hopes the outcome will reveal some of the 'too many loopholes' in the system. Global News is seeking comment from Elections BC. In May, chief electoral officer Anton Boegman acknowledged the case, said he 'does not want to presuppose' what is going to happen in court, but said overall the election was 'free, fair and secure.'
Hamilton Spectator
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C.‘s chief electoral officer pushes against ‘false narratives' in 2024 vote
VICTORIA - British Columbia's chief electoral officer has issued a report he says pushes back against 'false narratives' about the 2024 provincial election, as the Opposition BC Conservatives continue to call for an independent review. Anton Boegman said the Oct. 19 provincial election happened during a 'much more challenging' information environment than previous elections. 'Our social media team detected many false online narratives that questioned the integrity of the process,' he said, adding that many of those posts came from outside of British Columbia, including Alberta and Ontario. But Boegman said his office did not track from which part of the political spectrum the posts emerged. He said the online misinformation 'peaked' on Oct. 28 when Elections BC completed the final vote count, when 'normally social media commentary peaks on election day.' Boegman said the falsehoods included claims about many non-citizens voting, widespread multiple voting and extensive fraudulent use of mail-in voting. But he said B.C. had 'well-established and proven processes' to keep elections secure, adding that all voters must affirm their eligibility, including citizenship before registering and voting. He said Elections BC received five complaints about non-Canadians potentially voting, and another 10 non-Canadians attempting to register to vote. 'So that's 15 out of 2.1 million voters that have voted,' he said, adding that his office was investigating the cases. Officials prevent multiple voting by checking voters off lists, and people voting by mail must meet identity and integrity standards, he added. Boegman acknowledged October's election faced challenges and he accepted responsibility for human-caused errors including uncounted and unreported ballots that prompted a partial recount in the riding of Prince George-Mackenzie. 'Elections are messy, to use a word,' he said, and while all election officials receive training, they make mistakes. 'We saw that obviously in our election in the mistakes that were made. We were able to correct them ... and we were transparent about that.' Boegman said the errors did not affect the final results, with Premier David Eby's NDP winning a single-seat majority, but B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said a 'number of errors' put the results in question. 'Now, the election process is what it is,' Rustad said. 'We accept it obviously going forward, but this needs to change, and quite frankly, the truth of this needs to come out.' Rustad added that he hoped a court case by Conservative candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa challenging the outcome in Surrey-Guildford would reveal some of the 'too many loopholes' in the system. Randhawa has challenged the 22-vote victory of New Democrat Garry Begg in Surrey-Guildford following a judicial recount in late 2024. Begg's seat gave the NDP its razor-thin majority, but Randhawa has claimed various irregularities. The B.C. Conservative Party is not taking part in the case. Boegman's report mentions the court challenge, noting B.C.'s Supreme Court has yet to hear Randhawa's application to invalidate Begg's election. Should the court rule in favour of Randhawa, a byelection would be held. Boegman said he 'does not want to presuppose' what is going to happen in court. 'We will report on it, depending upon the outcome of that process and the findings from that process,' he said. When asked about Rustad's other claims, Boegman said that he 'will leave the political discussion' to the politicians. 'I will stand by my assertion that the election ... was an accessible election, that it was free, fair and secure.' The report is the first volume in a series of reports into the Oct. 19 vote. It says 'administrative challenges' to the vote included the late withdrawal of the BC United party, extreme weather on voting day and human error. In Prince George-Mackenzie, election officials failed to count a ballot box containing 861 advance votes on election night. The report says the mistake was made after a single ballot was inserted into a box without being tabulated. The mistake was noted and election officials were instructed to reset the tabulator and re-insert all the ballots. However, the report says the instructions were followed incorrectly, and while the retabulated box was counted, a second box containing other advance votes was not. 'Our review determined that while there were contributing factors, the mistakes were a result of election official errors,' the report says of the uncounted box and other errors. It says contributing factors 'included the complexity of our electoral model and the reliance on manual processes for key parts of results reporting, the shortened time between initial count and final count, and the delay in completing a quality assurance report at (Elections BC) HQ.' 'These factors were exacerbated by the long working hours and extreme weather event on final voting day,' it says. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
Global News
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Elections BC report pushes back against ‘false narratives' over 2024 provincial vote
British Columbia's chief electoral officer has issued a report he says pushes back against 'false narratives' about the 2024 provincial election, as the Opposition BC Conservatives continue to call for an independent review. Anton Boegman said the Oct. 19 provincial election happened during a 'much more challenging' information environment than previous elections. 'Our social media team detected many false online narratives that questioned the integrity of the process,' he said, adding that many of those posts came from outside of British Columbia, including Alberta and Ontario. But Boegman said his office did not track from which part of the political spectrum the posts emerged. 2:10 BC Conservatives file complaint about alleged 'voting irregularities' in Surrey-Guilford riding He said the online misinformation 'peaked' on Oct. 28 when Elections BC completed the final vote count, when 'normally social media commentary peaks on election day.' Story continues below advertisement Boegman said the falsehoods included claims about many non-citizens voting, widespread multiple voting and extensive fraudulent use of mail-in voting. But he said B.C. had 'well-established and proven processes' to keep elections secure, adding that all voters must affirm their eligibility, including citizenship before registering and voting. He said Elections BC received five complaints about non-Canadians potentially voting, and another 10 non-Canadians attempting to register to vote. 'So that's 15 out of 2.1 million voters that have voted,' he said, adding that his office was investigating the cases. Officials prevent multiple voting by checking voters off lists, and people voting by mail must meet identity and integrity standards, he added. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Boegman acknowledged October's election faced challenges and he accepted responsibility for human-caused errors including uncounted and unreported ballots that prompted a partial recount in the riding of Prince George-Mackenzie. 'Elections are messy, to use a word,' he said, and while all election officials receive training, they make mistakes. 'We saw that obviously in our election in the mistakes that were made. We were able to correct them … and we were transparent about that.' Boegman said the errors did not affect the final results, with Premier David Eby's NDP winning a single-seat majority, but B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said a 'number of errors' put the results in question. Story continues below advertisement 2:13 B.C. Conservatives allege 'irregularities' in 2024 provincial election 'Now, the election process is what it is,' Rustad said. 'We accept it obviously going forward, but this needs to change, and quite frankly, the truth of this needs to come out.' Rustad added that he hoped a court case by Conservative candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa challenging the outcome in Surrey-Guildford would reveal some of the 'too many loopholes' in the system. Randhawa has challenged the 22-vote victory of New Democrat Garry Begg in Surrey-Guildford following a judicial recount in late 2024. Begg's seat gave the NDP its razor-thin majority, but Randhawa has claimed various irregularities. The B.C. Conservative Party is not taking part in the case. Boegman's report mentions the court challenge, noting B.C.'s Supreme Court has yet to hear Randhawa's application to invalidate Begg's election. Should the court rule in favour of Randhawa, a byelection would be held. Story continues below advertisement Boegman said he 'does not want to presuppose' what is going to happen in court. 'We will report on it, depending upon the outcome of that process and the findings from that process,' he said. When asked about Rustad's other claims, Boegman said that he 'will leave the political discussion' to the politicians. 'I will stand by my assertion that the election … was an accessible election, that it was free, fair and secure.' The report is the first volume in a series of reports into the Oct. 19 vote. It says 'administrative challenges' to the vote included the late withdrawal of the BC United party, extreme weather on voting day and human error. In Prince George-Mackenzie, election officials failed to count a ballot box containing 861 advance votes on election night. The report says the mistake was made after a single ballot was inserted into a box without being tabulated. The mistake was noted and election officials were instructed to reset the tabulator and re-insert all the ballots. However, the report says the instructions were followed incorrectly, and while the retabulated box was counted, a second box containing other advance votes was not. 'Our review determined that while there were contributing factors, the mistakes were a result of election official errors,' the report says of the uncounted box and other errors. Story continues below advertisement It says contributing factors 'included the complexity of our electoral model and the reliance on manual processes for key parts of results reporting, the shortened time between initial count and final count, and the delay in completing a quality assurance report at (Elections BC) HQ.' 'These factors were exacerbated by the long working hours and extreme weather event on final voting day,' it says.
