CRTC investigates robocall complaints

The CRTC is investigating complaints about the use of so-called robocalls by mayoral candidates in Winnipeg's municipal election campaign.

'I'd rather talk to a person, if somebody's phoning me.' —Valerie Wilson

The messages have been sent to hundreds of thousands of homes in Winnipeg. The CRTC is trying to figure out if they violate federal regulations in any way.

Winnipeg voter Valerie Wilson said a recent robocall from  Mike Sutherland of the Winnipeg Police Association and Alex Forrest, president of the local firefighter's union, on behalf of Katz, rubbed her the wrong way.

She said the message was too "in your face." She admitted to believing unions should not be involved in election campaigns.

Despite that, Wilson said it was the impersonal nature of the message that she found upsetting.

"I was considerably upset by it ... I'd rather talk to a person, if somebody's phoning me," she said.

But Marni Larkin, who works on Katz's campaign, defended the use of the messages as a way to reach voters in a cost-effective way.

Mayoral candidates campaigns have a spending cap of $181,000 and robocalls are relatively cheap to use, Larkin said.

"We want to make sure we get to as many people as possible with our particular targeted message," Larkin said. "And this is a really effective way to do it."

The federal regulator could not give CBC News a timeframe for when its investigation into the robocall complaints will wrap up.