City Clerk’s Office and Regional Police investigating Ward 7 candidate in Waterloo

The City of Waterloo Clerk's Office and Regional Police are investigating Ward 7 Waterloo candidate Devon McKenzie.

City Clerk Olga Smith tells 570 NEWS, XL Lifestyle is part of the investigation, after reports of an election-day march to the polls targeting students – that offered free T-shirts and cheap drinks, encouraging them to vote.

McKenzie owns a number of nightclubs in uptown Waterloo.

The City Clerk's Office says they are investigating Section 90 (3) of the Municipal Elections Act:

90 (3) No person shall, directly or indirectly,       
(a) offer, give, lend, or promise or agree to give or lend any valuable consideration, in connection with the exercise or non-exercise of an elector's vote;
(b) advance, pay or cause to be paid money intending that it be used to commit an offence referred to in clause (a), or knowing that it will be used to repay money used in that way;
(c) give, procure or promise or agree to procure an office or employment in connection with the exercise or non-exercise of an elector's vote;
(d) apply for, accept or agree to accept any valuable consideration or office or employment in connection with the exercise or non-exercise of an elector's vote;
(e) give, procure or promise or agree to procure an office or employment to induce a person to become a candidate, refrain from becoming a candidate or withdraw his or her 
candidacy;
(f) offer, give, lend, or promise or agree to give or lend any valuable consideration in order to induce a person to become a candidate, refrain from becoming a candidate or withdraw his or her candidacy. 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 90 (3); 2016, c. 15, s. 67.

In the email to 570 NEWS, Smith highlighted section (f) of the code: offer, give, lend, or promise or agree to give or lend any valuable consideration in order to induce a person to become a candidate, refrain from becoming a candidate or withdraw his or her candidacy. 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 90 (3); 2016, c. 15, s. 67.

570 NEWS has reached out to McKenzie for comment and has not heard back.

Ward 7 candidate Tenille Bonoguore, says a group contacted her trying to revive an earlier event, that has since been called off, offering free T-shirts and cheap drinks to students who voted.

“They emailed me asking for me to be involved and to go along that night to make it an all-candidate event,” says Bonoguore. “My immediate response was; who is the organization putting this together? Who is paying for the T-shirts? Who is funding the video production? And do you have your third party registration? Within five minutes they emailed back saying we're cancelling the plans and reconsidering.”

She says she is very concerned a Toronto-based company may be trying to influence an election in Waterloo.