Complaints filed about Act For Edmonton spending at least $50K on election

Mayoral candidate concerned over ad group An organization spending on advertising is not registered and says it isn’t breaking rules. But one candidate believes it’s unfair.

EDMONTON — A group that’s spent at least $50,000 on hundreds of ads about the 2021 municipal campaign - is now the subject of complaints to Elections Edmonton.

But a spokesperson for the city’s elections operator said Thursday it hasn’t been decided if Act For Edmonton has done anything wrong or not.

“A complaint does not mean that an offence has occurred,” Suzzette Mellado told CTV News Edmonton.

“We can confirm that complaints have been passed on to the (provincial) Election Commissioner and complainants have also been advised to contact the Election Commissioner directly.”

Act for Edmonton is paying for Facebook ads pushing progressive policies like a city mask mandate, free transit and more affordable housing.

The group is also collecting personal information and using blue and yellow in their advertising - just like mayoral candidate Amarjeet Sohi.

“I didn’t even know what colours this group was using, or what their values are, or what platform they are running on,” Sohi said.

The former councillor admitted that one of his volunteers had ties to Act For Edmonton, but he said that person has stepped away from the Sohi campaign.

MAYORAL CANDIDATE 'CALLING THIS OUT'

The problem with Act For Edmonton - according to one of Sohi’s opponents - is that it hasn't registered as a third party advertiser.

“Clearly that’s a lot of money, they have an agenda, and they are collecting ‘get out the vote’ data,” Kim Krushell said.

“I am calling this out, and I would like to know, what is this organization doing with the data that they are collecting? And where are they getting the money from?”

Edmonton's election laws define third party advertisers as: “an individual, corporation or group who promotes or opposes a municipal or school board candidate through election advertising.”

ACT FOR EDMONTON RESPONDS

But Act For Edmonton insists that law doesn’t apply to it because it is only promoting issues and not naming any specific candidates.

“Any time a candidate sees value in expressing the issues as identified in our campaign through our engagement with working people in Edmonton, we are grateful,” Juan Vargas Alba said Thursday.

Act For Edmonton was started in 2020 by a “group of citizens, activists, and community organizers,” it’s website said, adding that “local labour unions” are also involved.

Leaders of the group openly disclose ties to Friends of Medicare, Climate Justice Edmonton and Public Interest Alberta.

One of Act For Edmonton’s lead organizers - Bradley Lafortune - once worked for the Alberta NDP and the Government of Alberta, according to his LinkedIn account.

The issue will have to be settled by Elections Alberta as all complaints are passed from the city to them.

Elections Alberta would not confirm Thursday whether or not the Elections Commissioner has launched a probe into Act For Edmonton.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson