TORONTO — Ontario's chief electoral officer has found an "apparent contravention" of the Election Act by a former Liberal candidate in this year's provincial election.
The NDP had filed a complaint with Elections Ontario after Audrey Festeryga stepped in to run for the Liberals in Chatham-Kent-Leamington after the party dropped the previous candidate mid-campaign.
The New Democrats alleged that Festeryga – who ended up withdrawing her own candidacy soon after – was fraudulently registered with signatures gathered in support of the previous candidate.
Elections Ontario now says it has reviewed the evidence and found an "apparent contravention" of a section of the Election Act relating to false or misleading information that carries a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine.
Elections Ontario says the matter has been reported to the Ministry of the Attorney General and it may be investigated and prosecuted.
The Liberals said in a statement that they are aware of Elections Ontario's communications on this matter, but they have no further comment because it has been referred to the attorney general.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.