Nobody should be allowed to buy our democracy.
Transparency matters.
In a democracy, everyone should have a say. When we all go to vote, the ballot handed to a multi-millionaire CEO and the ballot handed to a student saddled with thousands in debt should count the same. We all deserve to have our voices heard and our opinions respected.
But some wealthy people think they can buy our democracy. By circumventing the rules and using their personal wealth, they think they can engineer outrage, manipulate the conversation, and scare our elected officials into doing their bidding. And, what’s worse, they think they can do it anonymously.
This kind of behaviour is not okay. It makes our civic conversation less accessible and excludes those who do not have the resources to respond in the same way.
Shame on the shadowy right-wing populist figures behind those newspaper advertisements who think they can buy our democracy!
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As of December 21, 2024, it is estimated that the group behind those newspaper ads has spent
approx. $62,130
on print advertisements in local newspapers.
That is:
Nearly
12.4x more
than the average 2024 property tax bill in Hamilton
Nearly
82.3%
the median after-tax income of Hamiltonian households in 2021
Enough to pay over
29 months
of rent on a median-priced two bedroom apartment in Hamilton
We’ve archived a list of the anonymous print ads appearing in the Hamilton Spectator and local papers since June 2023. Check it out at this link.
Hamiltonians deserve honesty in our local politics.
Wealthy, secretive groups shouldn’t be allowed to manipulate our civic conversation through unethical and misleading ads. If you want accountability, try contacting:
City of Hamilton’s Elections Office
While we are outside a municipal election period, contacting the Elections Office at the City of Hamilton might encourage elections officials to keep this group and any other clandestine groups on their radar.
Metroland Media (The Spec’s ad managers)
If you have concerns about the advertisements that appear in the weekend Spectator, you should contact the company that manages them. Metroland Media is the branch of the Spectator’s parent company that deals with advertising. They have a contact form on their website where you can make your opinions known.
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs
Unfortunately, current municipal elections laws make it so that anyone who runs political ads targeting local issues in between elections does not need to be transparent about who they are. Our municipal elections laws must be changed to more closely mirror provincial laws, which strongly regulate this kind of advertising. Contact the minister and demand changes to our municipal elections laws!