Elections Ontario

File:Elections Ontario.png

Its responsibilities include:

• Administering the election process in general elections and by-elections
• Maintaining the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario (PREO)
• Testing new voting equipment, vote-counting equipment and alternative voting methods
• Conducting public education on the electoral process
• Overseeing the registration of political parties, constituency associations, candidates, leadership contestants and third party advertisers
• Publishing on the Internet financial statements of the people and entities governed by the Act, including the real time disclosure of political contributions
• Reviewing financial statements to ensure compliance
• Distributing publicly funded subsidies
• Investigating and reporting apparent contraventions
• Recommending reforms to the Election Act and Election Finances Act.

In July 2012, Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa announced the April disappearance of two USB flash drives holding data on 2.4 million voters in 25 Ontario ridings.{{Cite news |date=2012-07-16 |title=Elections Ontario voter data goes missing: report |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/elections-ontario-voter-data-goes-missing-report/article4421768/ |access-date=2023-02-28}} The data included the names, gender, birth date and address of voters.{{Cite news |date=2012-07-20 |title=Class action launched against Elections Ontario over missing voter information |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/class-action-launched-against-elections-ontario-over-missing-voter-information/article4431889/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}} The two staff members who lost the drives no longer work at Elections Ontario.{{Cite news |last=Alphonso |first=Caroline |date=2012-07-17 |title=Elections Ontario warns voters of privacy breach as USBs holding personal data vanish |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/elections-ontario-warns-voters-of-privacy-breach-as-usbs-holding-personal-data-vanish/article4422723/ |access-date=2023-02-28}} The Ontario Provincial Police and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario started investigations into the privacy breach described as "the largest in Ontario history".{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/elections-ontario-warns-voters-of-privacy-breach-as-usbs-holding-personal-data-vanish/article4422723/|title=Elections Ontario warns voters of privacy breach as USBs holding personal data vanish|access-date=9 April 2018|via=The Globe and Mail}} Merchant Law Group filed a class action suit with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on July 20, 2012.{{Cite news |date=July 21, 2012 |title=Elections Ontario faces class action over missing data |work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/elections-ontario-faces-class-action-over-missing-data-1.1210979 |access-date=February 28, 2023}}{{Cite web |title=Elections Ontario Class Action |url=http://www.merchantlaw.com/class-actions/current-class-actions/elections-ontario-class-action |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822095444/http://www.merchantlaw.com/class-actions/current-class-actions/elections-ontario-class-action |archive-date=August 22, 2015 |website=Merchant Law Group}} Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian issued a report with recommendations on the incident on July 31, 2012.{{Cite web |title=Elections Ontario's Unprecedented Privacy Breach: A Special Investigation Report |url=https://www.ipc.on.ca/images/Findings/2012-07-31-Elections-Ont_1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627012728/https://www.ipc.on.ca/images/Findings/2012-07-31-Elections-Ont_1.pdf |archive-date=June 27, 2015 |website=Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario}}

On February 19, 2015, Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa delivered a report to the Ontario legislature alleging that Premier Kathleen Wynne's chief-of-staff Patricia Sorbara and Sudbury riding organizer Gerry Lougheed Jr. had offered a job to Andrew Olivier, who intended to run to be the Liberal candidate in the by-election.{{Cite web |date=February 19, 2015 |title=The Chief Electoral Officer’s Report on Apparent Contraventions of the Election Act |url=http://www.elections.on.ca/content/dam/NGW/sitecontent/2014/Media%20Releases/February%2019,%202015%20-%20Chief%20Electoral%20Officer%20report%20on%20apparent%20contraventions%20of%20Election%20Act.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930160533/http://www.elections.on.ca/content/dam/NGW/sitecontent/2014/Media%20Releases/February%2019,%202015%20-%20Chief%20Electoral%20Officer%20report%20on%20apparent%20contraventions%20of%20Election%20Act.pdf |archive-date=September 30, 2015 |website=Elections Ontario}} Ontario Provincial Police investigated the allegations and laid two charges against Lougheed. Police did not lay charges against Sorbara.{{Cite web |date=2015-09-24 |title=Liberal Gerry Lougheed charged in Sudbury byelection affair, but Wynne aide Pat Sorbara cleared |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2015/09/24/criminal-charges-laid-in-sudbury-election-probe.html |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=thestar.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Morrow |first=Adrian |date=2015-09-24 |title=Alleged Ontario Liberal bribery scandal shines light on world of political patronage |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/liberal-fundraiser-faces-charges-in-alleged-by-election-bribery-scandal/article26514410/ |access-date=2023-02-28}}

The Globe and Mail reported on May 20, 2018, that Elections Ontario had launched an investigation in response to a complaint that Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidates allegedly used data stolen from the 407 ETR toll highway to further party nomination campaigns in several ridings.{{cite news |last1=Mahoney |first1=Jill |last2=Howlett |first2=Karen |title=Ontario elections watchdog reviewing PC candidate campaigns |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-elections-watchdog-reviewing-pc-candidate-campaigns/ |access-date=June 10, 2018 |work=The Globe and Mail |date=May 20, 2018}} The complaint, filed by the Ontario New Democratic Party, focused on the nomination contests in the ridings of Brampton West, Brampton Centre, Brampton South, Burlington, Mississauga East—Cooksville, Mississauga—Erin Mills, Mississauga—Lakeshore, Mississauga—Streetsville, Oakville, Beaches—East York, Milton and Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas.{{cite news |last1=Benzie |first1=Robert |title=NDP calls for Elections Ontario to probe 12 PC nominations |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/05/23/ndp-calls-for-elections-ontario-to-probe-12-pc-nominations.html |access-date=June 10, 2018 |work=Toronto Star |date=May 23, 2018 |language=en}} The Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas nomination is also the subject of a separate criminal investigation by the Hamilton Police Service.{{cite news |last1=Benzie |first1=Robert |title=Spurned PC candidate ends civil suit, but criminal probe continues in Hamilton riding |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/01/24/spurned-pc-candidate-ends-civil-suit-but-criminal-probe-continues-in-hamilton-riding.html |access-date=June 10, 2018 |work=Toronto Star |date=January 24, 2018 |language=en}}

• Politics of Ontario
• List of political parties in Ontario

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• {{official|http://www.elections.on.ca}}

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Category:Election agencies in Canada

Category:Offices of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Category:Organizations based in Toronto

Category:Elections in Ontario