FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE: Horizon Ottawa calls on Osgoode by-election candidates to release donor information early
OTTAWA - Horizon Ottawa is calling on all candidates running in the Osgoode Ward by-election to release their list of donors over $100 so residents in the ward can see who is funding their campaigns before Election Day on June 16th.
The organization sent an e-mail this morning calling on all candidates to publicly release their lists by advanced voting day on June 6th.
Candidates are required by Elections Ottawa and the provincial Municipal Elections Act to publicly list the names and addresses of every contributor who gives more than $100 total to their campaign in their financial statement which is usually posted a few months after the election is over.
Horizon Ottawa believes that keeping this information hidden until after the election allows candidates and the potential winner to escape public scrutiny over who they are accepting funds from - particularly those connected to the real estate development industry.
Many candidates including sitting councillors and mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney released their donor data early in 2022.
“We know candidates are required to release their donor list after the election but that isn’t enough,” said Tom Ledgley, Horizon Ottawa coordinator. “Reporting your donations before the election is over ensures complete transparency and lets voters know where you stand.”
According to the organization’s own data, those connected to the industry donated nearly $300,000 to all candidates in the last municipal election in 2022. In 2018, that number was almost double. The steep dip is thanks to Horizon’s campaign to lessen the practice of accepting those donations. Horizon is hopeful that the trend can continue during this by-election.
“This is especially important given that a potential large-scale development (Tewin) by one of the biggest private developers in town is an important issue in this by-election,” said Ledgley. “If a candidate is accepting donations from someone connected to the Taggart family, among others - voters should be educated about that before they make their decision.”
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For Media Inquiries:
English
Tom Ledgley
613-663-7018
[email protected]
French
Sam Hersh
613-663-7018
[email protected]
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE: Horizon Ottawa Releases Donor Information from Osgoode By-election Candidates
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
09 June 2025
OTTAWA - Horizon Ottawa has released information about how candidates in the Osgoode by-election have financed their campaigns in an effort to improve transparency. The organization has consistently called on candidates to refuse contributions from the development industry based on the perception that this could create a conflict of interest when elected officials are tasked with decisions that would affect developer profits. The City of Ottawa already requires candidates to release a list of all donations over $100 following the election, but Horizon also stresses the importance of voters having access to this information before casting their ballot.
Of the eleven candidates registered in the by-election, Horizon was able to contact ten, six of whom responded to the request. Horizon’s findings can be seen in this chart:
Three candidates: Dalton Holloway, Jennifer van Koughnett, and Peter Westaway provided a list of their donors and were verified to have not received any funding from those connected to the development industry.
Greg Vail provided a list of donors and was found to have received two $100 contributions from donors who could be construed to be connected to the real estate development industry.
Isabelle Skalski and Dan O’Brien both claim to have received no developer-related funding, but did not disclose a list of their donors.
Doug Thompson, Colette Lacroix Velthuis, Guy Boone, and Bobby Gulati did not respond to Horizon’s request. While this does not necessarily mean that their campaigns were funded by developer-connected donors, Osgoode Ward residents will not have access to this information before selecting a councillor.
Horizon encourages each of these candidates to show voters that transparency matters to them and to make this information publicly available before election day on June 16th.
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For media inquiries:
English
Tom Ledgley
613-663-7018
French
Sam Hersh
613-663-7018
