.svg){kind=small}
Despite a warning of a hefty fine and jail time for CEO David Marskell, THEMUSEUM will still offer free admission on Wednesday, October 24.
On Thursday, THEMUSEUM issued a media release saying they would offer free admission to those who vote in the upcoming municipal election. However, Marskell was warned that he and his business were violating Section 90(3) of The Municipal Election Act by offering that promotion.
Friday morning, Marskell told the Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS "I think I've been accused of inciting democracy."
"It was simply a way to encourage Waterloo Region residents to exercise their right to vote," said Marskell on the Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS. "We do want to offer free admission, we do want to promote democracy, and we do want to make THEMUSEUM accessible for those who can't necessarily afford it."
He says voter turn-out in the 2014 municipal election was just 30%, and it's the law that should be addressed, not his promotion.
"I'm not blaming the City Clerk at all, they pointed it out to us that we were in violation and that it could carry hefty fines and a jail term," says Marskell. "Being a not-for-profit, we can't pay hefty fines and I'm not really looking to go to jail in the near future."
Marskell says they will still be offering free admission on Wednesday, October 24 between 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., but guests must share the password "please vote" with Visitor Services.
"Tagging it to the election and democracy, we thought, was a clever idea... But the cops are on us, and the authorities have told us we should not do that."
In a statement, THEMUSEUM says it "unequivocally supports civic involvement and opposes voter apathy" and is not affiliated with an individual candidate.
