A former employee of Ontario's 407 private freeway quit suddenly Wednesday as a Progressive Conservative candidate in next month's election, barely an hour after the highway confirmed that information on 60,000 customers had been leaked through an "internal theft."
Simmer Sandhu, the candidate for Brampton East, said in an online statement that he had recently been made aware of anonymous allegations against him "pertaining to both my work life and my nomination campaign."
"These allegations are totally baseless. I absolutely deny them," he said on both Twitter and Facebook. "I will vigorously defend myself and reputation and I am confident I will be cleared."
An opinion piece explains the anonymous allegations:
[...] it is alleged that someone stole 60,000 names, addresses and phone numbers from the privately-owned Highway 407 ETR's internal systems and distributed or sold the data to a couple of dozen candidates in GTA nomination races. Those campaigns then sold fake party memberships under the stolen names, mocked up identification that met the party's requirements (which do not include photo ID), and paid international students $200 a pop to vote under these fraudulent identities.
Wikipedia has an article about the Brampton East riding.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Gaaark on Tuesday May 22 2018, @02:47PM (5 children)
The Toronto Star newspaper is endorsing a Green candidate (the Ontario Green leader)!
Drain the swamp!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Snow on Tuesday May 22 2018, @03:10PM (1 child)
Like, outright endorsing them? That doesn't sound like a newspaperly thing to do.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Gaaark on Tuesday May 22 2018, @03:30PM
https://gpo.ca/2018/05/21/green-party-leader-receives-endorsement-from-toronto-star/ [gpo.ca]
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2018/05/21/guelph-voters-should-consider-making-history-and-sending-the-greens-mike-schreiner-to-queens-park.html [thestar.com]
Basic endorsement.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Thexalon on Tuesday May 22 2018, @03:55PM (2 children)
Newspapers can endorse whoever they like. It's normal and routine in countries with freedom of the press. Readers and other voters are of course free to completely ignore whatever said newspaper says about the candidates.
That said, the opinion piece linked explains the real problem: It's far far too easy for somebody to do what this guy is accused of doing and thus get more votes than they have supporters.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday May 22 2018, @04:03PM
Benjamin Franklin definitely had political opinions and wrote for Newspapers, was an editor for a newspaper, established a newspaper or two, etc. His first "real job" was working at a Newspaper.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Goghit on Wednesday May 23 2018, @09:28PM
This is Canada - two newspaper chains controlled by big money. A quick look at their record over the last few elections shows that federally or provincially they automatically endorse Conservatives (a.k.a. "Liberals", if you're in B.C.) unless the pile is a little too ripe, in which case they might put in a tepid word for the Liberals. The owner's opinion over-rides the editorial desk, as demonstrated publicly in the last couple of federal elections.
Normally, as you say, highly ignorable. But Greens? Unless TorStar is one of those rare independent city newpapers (like the Victoria Times Colonist) this is truly a sign of climate change in Hell. If it's a Black Press shop pack your bags Christians, the Apocalypse is upon us!