City spent $450,000 on 2022 municipal election audit

A memo from Ottawa’s city clerk says it cost over $450,000 to audit the 2022 municipal election. CTV’s Kimberley Fowler reports.

A memo from Ottawa’s city clerk shows the compliance audit of the 2022 municipal election cost nearly half a million dollars.

According to the memo, all matters related to the audit of the 2022 municipal elections have been closed and the cost of the election compliance audit committee totalled $456,172.

In September, the committee voted not to pursue legal proceedings against Coun. Shawn Menard after finding he had under-reported 2022 campaign expenses by $310.

Oxaro, the company hired by the city to complete the audit, found the amount Menard recorded for old election signs in his 2022 financial statement was “was inaccurate and is an apparent non-compliance” of the Municipal Election Act.

The auditors also found that the mis-recording of campaign signs costs did not put the Capital ward councillor above the spending limit.

In 2024, the committee decided to pursue legal proceedings against the organization Horizon Ottawa, referring the matter to an independent prosecutor. However, according to the memo, the independent prosecutor advised against prosecuting any “apparent contraventions” identified in the auditor’s report.

The city clerk’s memo also noted that the campaign audit committee decided in 2024 not to pursue legal proceedings against former Coun. Doug Thompson.

According to the city clerk’s memo, the election campaign audit committee’s costs for the 2022 election audit included:

• $24,454 for committee costs
• $136,875 for external legal counsel
• $189,888 for auditors
• $3,401 for prosecutors
• $101,554 for the city clerk’s review of contributions
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