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A year-long battle between Vaughan Working Families and Elections Ontario ended up in provincial court this spring, as lawyers for the group attempted to throw out a decision that found its education ads violated Ontario election laws.
Published Tuesday, May 4, 2021 8:48PM EDT TORONTO - The RCMP is investigating an Ontario group that ran newspaper ads criticizing teachers unions after the provincial elections watchdog found it violated campaign finance rules The police force said it is probing the matter but wouldn t comment further because the investigation is ongoing. The full-page advertisements published last winter accused teachers union leaders of using children as “pawns” in contract talks that led to rotating strikes. Elections Ontario was asked by the provincial New Democrats to probe the ads last year. The elections watchdog later determined that the group behind the ads, Vaughan Working Families, contravened the Election Finances Act by failing to register as a third party, according to a letter sent to the NDP.
TORONTO The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says it’s investigating a group called the Vaughan Working Families after it published full-page advertisements in Toronto newspapers last year attacking striking teachers. The advertisements were published in February 2020 when all four major teachers’ unions in the province were engaged in escalating job action. The advertisements all opposed the strikes and appeared to support the provincial government. Elections Ontario eventually confirmed that the ads, which were published on the pages of the Toronto Star, the National Post and The Globe and Mail, violated the province’s Elections Finances Act. Election Ontario stated that there had been “an apparent contravention of section 37.5 and section 48 of the Elections Finances Act” and that Vaughan Working Families failed to register with Elections Ontario as a third party.
Posted: May 04, 2021 2:31 PM ET | Last Updated: May 4
CBC News has confirmed that the RCMP has launched an investigation into the group.(CBC)
The RCMP has launched an investigation into a number of full-page advertisements in 2020, under the name Vaughan Working Families, Ontario s New Democratic Party says.
In the ads, which appeared in three national newspapers early last year during a tense round of contract talks with provincial teachers unions, Vaughan Working Families took aim at teachers unions and expressed support for the Ford government.
The ads further suggested parents supported the government s position.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dmitri Malakhov told CBC News the investigation into this matter is ongoing and but that the force would not provide any further information at this time.