Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas PC nomination meeting cancelled due to weather
The rescheduled meeting is supposed to be a re-do after the May 2017 one was mired in controversy
Freezing rain in Hamilton has cancelled the Hamilton-West-Ancaster-Dundas (HWAD) PC party nomination meeting — originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
The Ontario PC party announced the cancellation Sunday morning, but has not yet given a new date.
Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/OntarioPCParty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OntarioPCParty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JagBadwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JagBadwal</a> for postponing today’s nomination in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HWAD?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HWAD</a> —was genuinely concerned at having to ask our volunteers and members to be driving around getting folks to the venue today. Good decision.
—@Serena_HamOntThe April 15 meeting was scheduled to re-do the nomination, after the original meeting was wrapped up in a number of controversies. Ben Levitt was the candidate who won back in May 2017, but there were allegations that it had been a rigged process.
Police are currently investigating allegations of ballot box stuffing.
This new meeting comes after the party "set aside" the original nomination meeting, saying that it was flawed, according to a March 15 statement released by party president, Jag Badwal.
Candidates for new meeting
Vikram Singh, one of the candidates last year, filed a lawsuit against the party but dropped it in January this year. His application to run in this April meeting was rejected.
The party didn't give a reason, saying it doesn't comment on internal processes.
Ben Levitt, the winner of the nomination meeting last year, said he will also run again this year. Jeff Peller, another candidate from last year, said he will only run only if he's "acclaimed."
In the meantime, a Doug Ford loyalist has announced his intentions to run in the new HWAD nomination meeting. Vincent Samuel, who campaigned locally for Ford's winning campaign this year, has been approved as a nominee for HWAD.
With files from Samantha Craggs