Big spenders were rewarded at the ballot box in last October's municipal election...with a few notable exceptions.
The financial documents that detail who spent what – and where the cash came from – are now available online.
While March 31 was the deadline for filing the mandatory financial documents, candidates were given a 30-day grace period in exchange for a $500 late filing fee paid to the town.
That made this past Monday, May 1 at 2 p.m. the real deadline for submitting the paperwork. Candidates who didn’t complete the statements will be barred from running for office until after the 2026 election.
Keen election watchers will undoubtedly spend the coming months poring over the details buried in the statements. Based on our first look, we offer a few interesting takeaways.
Money matters in the race for mayor. Or does it?
In the battle for the town's top job, Rob Burton outspent Julia Hanna by nearly 60%.
Burton, who was seeking a fifth term, raised about $147,000. He spent $146,608 on his campaign, including about $11,000 on a victory party.
Hanna, who came close to unseating Burton in 2018, spent just under $90,000 on her 2022 bid for the job. About $75,000 was donated cash, with the remainder coming out of her own pocket.
Despite the spending differential, Burton won by a margin of fewer than 1,000 votes. He earned 19,949 votes (49 per cent) compared to Hanna’s 19,063 votes (47 per cent).
Third-place finisher student Jack Kukolic earned 1,498 votes (3.7 per cent).
Money matters in the race for a council seat. We’re pretty sure.
Two of the most interesting council races in October’s election were in Wards 1 and 7. In both cases, the big spenders won the job.
In Bronte's Ward 1, Jonathan McNeice spent nearly twice as much money as incumbent Beth Robertson, in his successful bid to unseat the one-term town councillor.
McNeice, who spent about $19,000, including more than $8,000 of his own money, captured 48 per cent of the vote.
Robertson spent only $8,875 and earned 42 per cent of the vote.
The other two candidates in the race – John Florio and Oliver Vadas – both ran low-cost, self-financed campaigns. Florio spent just over $1,000, while Vadas spent just over $2,000. The pair split the remaining 10 per cent of the vote.
Meanwhile, in North Oakville's Ward 7, nine candidates battled for the town council seat vacated by incumbent Jasvinder Sandhu.
Winner Scott Xie, was the biggest spender in that race, dropping over $14,000 on a campaign that earned him 23 per cent of the vote.
Most of the other candidates in the race spent in the $4,000 to $6,000 range, including second place finisher Amir Henry.
Henry, who also ran unsuccessfully in the ward in 2018, spent $5,500 and captured 19 per cent of the vote.
Money didn’t matter in the race for regional chair. No doubt about it.
But lest one think cash is all it takes to capture a seat, take a quick look at the battle for the job of Halton chair.
Gary Carr, who has held the job since 2006, was facing strong challengers in former Burlington MPP Jane McKenna and former Halton District School Board chair Andrea Grebenc.
Carr spent only about $5,000 to capture 56 per cent of the votes.
McKenna, who previously sat as a member of Doug Ford’s provincial government, spent almost $137,000 and received only 25 per cent of the vote.
Some of the province’s most well-heeled developer families contributed heavily to McKenna’s campaign. Her donor list includes $6,000 from the Pantalone family, almost $6,000 from various members of Burlington’s Paletta family and almost $5,000 from Oakville’s Guglietti family
Third-place finisher Andrea Grebenc spent just over $10,000 to capture 18 per cent of the votes.
Not taking anything for granted
Veteran Ward 5 town and regional councillor Jeff Knoll was the biggest spender among council candidates, with $20,693 in campaign spending.
Big election budgets have been a political trademark for Knoll, who spent even more in 2018, when he successfully defended his seat against former mayor Ann Mulvale.
While he faced off against a low-profile challenger in this election, Knoll said planning is typically done before nominations close, when it’s still not clear who will be on the ballot.
And, recalling his first council election, Knoll says he treats every challenger as a serious one.
"Back in 2000, I was seen as the upstart, lightweight challenger to a well-known/well-liked incumbent (20-year councillor Liz Behrens) and won because everyone felt I was not serious/not a real challenge," he wrote in an email to Oakville News.
"I came out of nowhere and won. This experience was a good cautionary lesson and one I always remember."
Knoll’s opponent Alicia Bedford didn’t file a financial statement, making her ineligible to run for office in the 2026 election.
Spending money to make a point
Remember those anti-Burton "wanted" signs that popped up around town in the last week of the campaign urging residents to vote against the mayor?
Oakville News N.M.
They cost $8,290.64, paid for by Dunpar Homes president John Zanini.
As we reported last October, Dunpar executives donated $3,600 to help Burton get re-elected in 2018.
The town's decision to reject a Dunpar plan to build 81 townhouses on five lots at the south end of Sixth Line, near the North Service Road -- a decision later upheld by the Ontario Land Tribunal -- appears to have soured them on Burton.
Under provincial rules, registered third-party advertisers may spend up to $25,000 to "support, promote or oppose a candidate" but are also obliged to file a financial statement.
What you spent
It cost the town roughly $1 million to run the 2022 election.
That includes the cost of staffing (internal and external), contracted services, technology, equipment, location requirements, materials and supplies, and training.
You'll also be covering the cost of sending cash rebates to local voters who donated at least $100 to the campaign of a municipal candidate.
Since 2003, Oakville has given a 50% cash rebate to local voters who donate at least $100 to the campaign of a municipal candidate.
In the 2018 election, the town handed out about $100,000 in donation rebates, with $11,125 going to the mayor, sitting councillors and their spouses.
Read more here: Mastering the art of donation swapping
Getting your money's worth?
Despite facing off against two credible candidates and a third who signed up but didn't campaign, veteran Ward 5 town council candidate Marc Grant managed to raise only $3,200 for his campaign – with more than a third of his cash coming from a $1,200 donation from the mayor’s wife, Wendy Burton.
It's possible that Grant hasn’t spoken 1,200 words in council since the October election.
Meanwhile, Pierre Sauvageot, who finished third in the race to replace Grant, has made repeated delegations to council in recent months. The former town auditor's presentations typically provide in-depth analysis of key issues before council.
"As a council delegate, I share my years of experience as an auditor to help council make informed decisions," he explains.
