News

Alberta resident Chris Sky gives Toronto mayoral candidacy speech in Shelburne – A totally different city…

Caryma Sa'd Apr 10, 2023

For anyone entertaining doubt about the seriousness of Leduc, Alberta resident Chris Sky’s bid for Toronto mayor, consider that he travels outside city limits to spread the good word; non-voters have nothing but time, money, and attention to offer the hopeful candidate.

Like a prophet or a charlatan, Chris Sky does his best work as far away from home as possible.

His most recent destination was the Town of Shelburne which is situated 100 kilometres north of Toronto.

The rally attracted a few hundred people, some of whom used to regularly attend “freedom” rallies at Queen’s Park. There has been a notable decline in turnout at Toronto protests since 2020 due to a combination of shifting priorities, changes in leadership, and infighting.

Operating within this occasionally contentious landscape, Jeremy Glass organizes bimonthly events in Shelburne.

The Shelburne rally would likely have occurred with or without Chris Sky, but his presence helps draw a crowd.

A few rallygoers were skeptical about the Toronto mayoral candidate’s intentions.

One lady in purple PPC headgear joked that her hat might trigger Chris Sky, alluding to his public rift with PPC leader Maxime Bernier. She recalled being in Ottawa for Canada Day in 2021, when Chris Sky crashed the festivities and demanded the microphone. She has side-eyed him ever since. She seemed surprised to learn that he was born into a millionaire household: “So why is he always asking for donations?”

It can be expensive to run a traditional mayoral campaign.

Pursuant to the Municipal Elections Act, contributions to municipal election candidates may only be made by: individuals who normally live in Ontario; the candidate and their spouse, even if they do not normally live in Ontario; or a deceased person’s estate, depending on their will.

Cash and anonymous contributions to fundraising events are limited to $25; anything above that limit must be given in a way that identifies the donor by name and address. Amounts that are anonymous and exceed $25 cannot be used by the candidate, and must be surrendered to the municipal clerk if the contributor’s identity cannot be established. During the election campaign period, eligible individuals may donate up to $2,500 to a single mayoral candidate.

The City of Toronto has a rebate regime for eligible donations.

The main stage in Shelburne is a flatbed truck that was apparently at the Ottawa convoy/occupation last winter.

There were performances and speeches, including music from Josh Bigger (Mr. Freedom) and Desi Ranks, and speeches from Kelly Ann Wolfe Farkas, Jim Kerr (Bubble Bus), Nico Hines (King Nico), Weldon Hachey (Barrie Thong Man), and others.

Chris Sky was the main speaker. He made incredible claims, including that he lives with his campaign team to maximize efficiency.

The campaign team appears to include at least one person responsible for lint removal.

Chris Sky was singularly focused on his goal of collecting time and money from Ontarians, presumably in accordance with the Municipal Elections Act.

The day ended with a parade.

The only float was fitting for Passover/Easter weekend.

Shortly after the parade was underway, Kelly Ann Wolfe Farkas got arrested on a bench warrant. Jeremy Glass was later arrested as well.

For his part, Chris Sky boasts about being arrested 26 times.

It will be interesting to see what kind of campaign events get held in Chris Sky’s old stomping grounds of Vaughan and King City.

Caryma Sa'd

Caryma Sa'd takes a no holds barred approach in her razor-sharp commentary; nothing and nobody is immune from criticism.

Subscribe Now!

Which newsletters would you like to receive?

Yes! By providing my email address, I agree to receive communications from Crier Media (this can be changed at any time). Please take a look at the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for more details.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Related stories