I have reviewed the 2018 Election Financial Statements of elected officials in Oakville and concluded that Mayor Burton received 17 donations from individuals linked to developers or developer proponents making up over 15% of his total donations, Regional Councillor Jeff Knoll received 11 such donations for over 45% of the total donations and Councillor Marc Grant received 4 such donations out of the 5 total donations received. Councillor Grant’s 4 developer and developer proponent related donations accounted for over 94% of his donations.
Kim Arnott of Oakvillenews.org released an article on July 5, 2022, entitled, “How much does it cost to win an Oakville council seat?”, and in this article she reported on political donations connected to the development industry. See below excerpts from the article:
As a Candidate for Ward 5 Town Councillor, I believe that accepting campaign donations from individuals linked to developers or developer proponents is completely inappropriate due to the potential for conflict of interest or perceived conflict of interest, and I believe is does erode the public’s trust. As a result, not now or ever would I accept these types of donations.
Michael Reid
Candidate for Ward 5 Town Councillor
Oakville