Latest news with #MunicipalElectionsAct
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Court dismisses $450K lawsuit launched by embattled Sudbury city councillor
Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc is facing charges under the Municipal Elections Act related to his spending during the 2022 municipal campaign. (File) On Friday, a Sudbury court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc seeking $450,000 and an end to legal action being taken against him. Leduc sued Greater Sudbury and Ward 11 resident Anastasia Rioux, claiming 'defendant Rioux's actions and statement, as well as the city's handling of the proceedings through its committee, have gone beyond legitimate political discourse and criticism, amounting to malicious and coordinated attempt to damage Mr. Leduc's reputation and political career.' Bill Leduc Greater Sudbury Ward 11 city councillor Bill Leduc at an election compliance audit committee meeting at Tom Davies Square on July 3, 2024. (Alana Everson/CTV News Northern Ontario) Leduc made the claims in an attempt to stop legal proceedings against him in connection with his campaign spending in the October 2022 municipal election. Rioux complained to the city's election compliance audit committee that Leduc used a municipal event known as Grandparents' Day in September 2022 as a campaign event, without reporting it as a campaign expense. KPMG audit The committee asked KMPG to audit Leduc's campaign finances, and the KPMG audit concluded Leduc appeared to have violated campaign spending rules. As a result, the committee recommended that legal action be initiated against Leduc for apparent violations of the Municipal Elections Act. If convicted, penalties could include forcing Leduc to give up his seat at city council. Leduc filed his lawsuit in August 2024, claiming Rioux had harmed his reputation and accused the audit committee of 'deliberately engag(ing) in unlawful conduct in the exercise of their public functions.' Art gallery, library in Sudbury would cost $68.8M Greater Sudbury said in its statement of defence that Leduc's suit was without merit and should be dismissed. On Friday, a Superior Court judge agreed. In response, the city said in its statement of defence that Leduc's suit was without merit and should be dismissed. On Friday, a Superior Court judge agreed. In a statement, the city said the court has directed both parties to 'submit written arguments regarding legal costs.' 'These submissions are due in September,' the statement said. 'As the claim was filed against the election compliance audit committee, the committee will meet to determine next steps.' The committee's next meeting is July 30 at 9:30 a.m. at Tom Davies Square. A message sent to Leduc on Friday seeking reaction to the court decision wasn't immediately returned.
Hamilton Spectator
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton's Ward 8 byelection set for Sept. 22
And the race is on to fill Hamilton's Ward 8 council vacancy . Residents of the Mountain ward will cast ballots Sept. 22 with advance polls set for Sept. 20 and 21. Newly minted Liberal MP John-Paul Danko left the council seat vacant when he made to leap to federal politics in April. Council approved the byelection Wednesday for residents to choose a replacement for the rest of the term, which ends Nov. 14, 2026. Aspiring byelection candidates must file nominations to run by 2 p.m. on Aug. 8. They must be Canadian citizens and at least 18 years old. They must reside in Hamilton, or be the owner of land in the city, or be the spouse of a land owner or tenant. They must not be prohibited from voting under the Municipal Elections Act or any other law, or be barred from holding municipal office under legislation. Candidates are asked to book an appointment with city elections staff. Call 905-546-4408 or email elections@ . The city says a list of candidates will be posted online by Aug. 12. The byelection winner's first council meeting will be Oct. 8. For more information about nominations, visit or email elections@ . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CTV News
31-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Scathing rebuke of Ramal's campaign finances in decision letter seeking ‘significant consequences' by the courts
Committee writes letter about referring an audit of former mayoral candidate Khalil Ramal to a special prosecutor for potential legal action. Two days after the Compliance Audit Committee (CAC) referred an audit of former mayoral candidate Khalil Ramal to a special prosecutor for potential legal action, a strongly-worded decision letter details the rationale behind the committee's decision. An audit of Ramal's campaign finances by William Molson concluded that there were a number of apparent violations of the Municipal Elections Act including not including in his filing the names/addresses of donors who gave over $100, exceeding the candidate contribution limit ($25,000) by $11,916.27 and using an unlicensed accountant to confirm the accuracy of the document submitted to the city clerk. The decision letter reads, 'this apparent lack of respect for and/or understanding of the record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Act is of great concern to the Committee.' It goes on to recommend the courts impose a harsh penalty if the Act was violated, 'the public interest warrants significant consequences both to denounce such conduct and to set an example for the Candidate and others in future municipal election cycles.' Penalties for violating the Municipal Elections Act could include: up to $25,000 fine ineligibility to vote or run in next election up to six months in prison forfeiture of your elected office additional fine (amount spending limit exceeded) The letter describes Ramal's use of an unlicensed auditor as 'startling'. It warns that the burden of confirming the accuracy of Financial Statements filed by thousands of candidates across Ontario should not fall on taxpayers. The letter emphasizes the onus is on the use of licensed accounting professionals to ensure public trust in municipal campaign finances, 'The audit requirement of the (Municipal Elections) Act is the cornerstone of the financial accountability and transparency framework established by the Act.' On Wednesday, Ramal challenged the compliance audit's findings during a CAC meeting. 053025 - Ramal audit Committee writes letter about referring an audit of former mayoral candidate Khalil Ramal to a special prosecutor for potential legal action. However, Molson told the committee that Ramal's campaign finances submitted to the city clerk suffered from 'massively incomplete information,' and that much of the campaign's revenue and expenses flowed outside of its dedicated bank account. He told them he was unaware that the individual who audited his campaign's Financial Statement was not licensed at the time. Ramal said he eventually provided Molson with his donors' names and addresses, and claimed that his personal contribution did not exceed the candidate limit because a $21,000 invoice remains unpaid. The committee wasn't swayed by his arguments. In its written decision the committee confirmed, '(We) therefore decided to authorize the commencement of such proceedings by appointing an independent prosecutor.' Molson's examination of available documents, plus telephone and written exchanges with Ramal confirmed several additional violations raised in an initial complaint: A list of financial donations over $100 failed to include the mailing address and/or name of contributor A contribution for $1,495 exceeded the $1,200 limit No expenses were declared for telephone, internet or website hosting fees Expenses of $2,034 and $339 for 'steel' should be subject to the spending limit Other 'revenue not deemed a contribution' lists '3x50' worth $150, which would exceed $25 limit The committee's written decision acknowledged their belief that Ramal did not deliberately disregard the record-keeping and reporting requirements, 'rather, he lacked the ability and knowledge to understand what was required, and he did not have the support of a campaign manager or financial officer who did.' The letter is signed by all three members appointed to the Compliance Audit Committee, Andrew Wright (Chair), Dan Ross (Member), and Christene Scrimgeour (Member). Ramal placed second to Mayor Josh Morgan in the 2022 municipal election receiving almost 23 per cent of the votes cast.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Audit of Ramal's ‘massively incomplete' mayoral campaign finances referred to courts
Khalil Ramal may face legal proceedings if the courts decide that the Municipal Elections Act was violated, reports CTV's Daryl Newcombe.
