November 7, 2014

The Honourable Ted McMeekin MPP

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister

Province of Ontario

College Park, 17th Flr 777 Bay St Toronto ON

Dear Minister McMeekin;

The Thunder Bay 2014 Municipal Election process is at stake and the integrity of the election has created voter doubt, voter suspicion and alleged illegal interference with the process of an election.

We the undersigned, call on the Minister and Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Province of Ontario to address and provide voters an outside inquiry to answer questions as to the compromised voter process held at the recent municipal elections in the City of Thunder Bay. We do not accept the election results as final nor accurate due to the number of erroneous errors in the municipal election process in pre-election, during the election and post-election.

This complaint is citizen-led by the undersigned residents of the City of Thunder Bay all of whom are qualified voters in the Thunder Bay 2014 municipal election.The integrity factors listed below are a combination of many incidents experienced by a significant number of Thunder Bay voters.

The integrity of the 2014 Thunder Bay municipal election held on October 27, 2014 was compromised due to the following factors:

1.Erroneous Voters list

2.Vote Delays

3.Voter Interference/Intimidation

4.Multiple voting cards

5.Mislabeled ward voting sheets

6.Vote Results Delayed

1.Erroneous Voters List

Voter data combining the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) preliminary list of electors’ voter data and City of Thunder Bay eligible voters list was compromised.Thunder Bay had over 19,000 changes to the voters list; an unusually high number and most likely one of the highest number of changes of any Ontario municipality.

2.Vote Delays

The question itself (You under voted) created additional delays in the voting process resulting in voters leaving the polls without voting.

·The delays caused some people to be turned away.

·Voters did NOT receive complete voter anonymity.

·Voters were NOT assured secrecy of their voting sheet.

3.Voter Interference/Intimidation

Vote interference and intimidation was a comment made by voters who were subjected to a new question asked of voters upon completion of their voting sheet.

A statement was made by the electronic tabulator station officer “You under voted” created confusion and annoyance with the majority of voters.The statement in itself influenced the way a voter may have wanted to vote.

The voter public was not advised in advance of their vote that this question was to be asked nor provided the reason for the question to be asked after they had voted. It was seen as a form of interference and intimidation to the voting process by the majority of those voting in the Thunder Bay 2014 municipal election.

Examples of how the after-vote question such as “you under voted” affected voters is as follows:

·Voters changed their voting sheets to a full card to accommodate the tabulator’s question.

·Some voters left.

·Some voters kept their voting sheets unchanged.

4.Multiple Voting Cards

With approximately 19,000 changes made to the voters list out of the 43,000 that voted it appears the voters list not only had erroneous errors in the number of changes but in the number of long term residents who were subject to election list errors. The error most likely resulted in a number of voters receiving additional voter cards.

In addition to multiple cards, a substantial number of voters who have maintained long term residency for more than 10 years did not receive their voting cards.

5.Mislabeled Voting Sheets

The voting process was compromised by a voting sheet that was inserted in a voting sleeve cover once the vote was completed by the elector. It was then taken over to the voter tabulator manned by a person.The voting sheets were said to have been mislabeled such as ward voting. Where the party voted in Red River riding ward, the voter sheet may have had McIntyre Ward.

There were a number of discretionary sheets that had the wrong ward voting sheets in the ward poll location.

6.Vote Results Delayed

Results unavailable until 3 hours after election. The election officer (city clerk by virtue of his office) stated it was due to City of Thunder Bay server crash and increased traffic to the municipality’s website.Yet those at city hall were able to view the results in real time on the screen in the councilor’s meeting room fed from a computer that provided results from the city server.

We, the undersigned residents of the City of Thunder Bay, all of whom are qualified voters in the Thunder Bay 2014 municipal election ask for a public inquiry into the 2014 Thunder Bay Municipal Elections. The voting public has a right to ensure each election is fair, transparent and that the anonymity and privacy of the Thunder Bay voter is not comprised.

The voters of Thunder Bay disagree with the final election results and feel that the vote was comprised for the reasons provided above. We call on the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to address our voter concerns and the compromised Thunder Bay voting process.

Regards,

Thunder Bay Voters

I, the undersigned support the statement and letter above. I have provided my name below in support of the recommendations and requests made to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Province of Ontario, Canada.

I am a qualified voter in the 2014 Thunder Bay Municipal Election.

cc.Elizabeth Harding

Assistant Deputy Minister

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Province of Ontario Municipal Services Division

16th Flr, 777 Bay St, Toronto ON M5G2E5