A city committee has decided to launch legal proceedings against a progressive advocacy group for alleged breaches of campaign finance law during the last municipal election.On Wednesday, the City of Ottawa's election compliance audit committee accepted the findings of an independent audit that found Horizon Ottawa may have breached the Municipal Elections Act during the 2022 municipal campaign.
Cullen was clear that the committee does not have the power to decide whether Horizon Ottawa actually contravened the law, only to refer the matter to a prosecutor who will decide whether to move forward.Horizon Ottawa immediately issued a media release saying it stands by its conduct during the election. It called the complaint that sparked the audit "politically motivated and riddled with inaccuracies.
It found about $450 left in a donation jar at Horizonfest should have been either returned to the donors or handed over to the city clerk, because the event didn't meet the criteria for a fundraiser. Nor did Horizon Ottawa keep records of the donations or issue receipts, according to the audit. Pappas said accepting cash donations "strikes at the core of transparency" since they can't be traced back to donors, while the early expenses gave Horizon an unfair advantage.
"Any suggestion that this was some kind of intentional flouting of the rules I think flies in the face of the facts in front of you," she said. "There was a very diligent effort to comply with the rules in this case."
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