As Julian Fantino flounders, how did a Toronto beat cop make $300,000 on election robocalls in 2011?

see correction and update below! Former top"cop Julian Fantino and his political master #tephen $arper likel% hoped the weekend would brin& reprie'e from the torrent of criticism o'er the closure of se'eral (eterans Affairs offices and Fantino)s lack of respect for those affected* +o such luck* The new week has seen continuin& disappro'al across the political spectrum, and, as ,lections -anada continues to in'esti&ate Fantino)s spendin& for the 2011 federal election, new .uestions should be asked re&ardin& how an upstart robocall compan% mana&ed to pull down hundreds of thousands of dollars in work from -onser'ati'e candidates e'en before it had been formall% incorporated federall% on 2/ June 2011* 0ultiple ,lect1i&ht incorporation papers re&ister the compan% to Toronto police #er&eant 2rett 0cFar.uhar)s home address* 3re'iousl%, -2- published a spread sheet detailin& amounts spent b% federal candidates on election callin& ser'ices in 2011* ,lect1i&ht)s haul, accordin& to those fi&ures, was $245,555*4/, all from -onser'ati'e 3art% of -anada candidates* 0cFar.uhar, decorated in 2003 b% then Toronto 3olice -hief Fantino, can be seen in uniform on a police bic%cle in a photo used for his twitter account 6#&t72rett* 8hile little public information e9ists on #&t* 0cFar.uhar, he was called upon to collect 'ideo recordin&s from businesses alon& 2loor #treet durin& the hi&h"profile 2005 case in which former :ntario Attorne% ;eneral 0ichael 2r%ant dra&&ed and killed bic%cle courier <arc% Allan #heppard* ,lect1i&ht in'oiced Fantino)s 2011 campai&n with it)s third"hi&hest, sin&le amount at $1=,420* >t is unknown whether 0cFar.uhar and ,lect1i&ht pro'ided the technolo&% for a 1=,000 stron& electronic town hall that the 2010 Fantino b%"election campai&n co"hosted with now suspended #enator 0ike <uff%* Fantino)s 2010 campai&n oddl% filed an ,lections -anada claim with ?ero e9penses relatin& to li'e or automated call work* >t is also unknown whether ,lect1i&ht was paid usin& the Fantino campai&n)s ille&al second election account or whether it has e'er pro'ided assistance to candidates outside of :ntario* ,lection campai&ns in'ol'in& ,lect1i&ht or 0cFar.uhar in 2011 pro'oked contro'ers%, e'en apolo&%, at multiple le'els of &o'ernment* The first known work billed b% ,lect1i&ht in'ol'ed the 2arrie ma%oralt% election on 2= :ctober 2010, which appears to ha'e &one off without a hitch* #i9 weeks later, howe'er, 2arrie)s 3ro&ressi'e -onser'ati'e ridin& association president resi&ned, citin& irre&ularities with nomination ballots for a 3- candidate in the 2011 pro'incial election* Fred $amelink)s resi&nation letter noted that @a lar&e number of applications were! dropped off at A2arrie 3- Association membership secretar%B 2rett 0cFar.uhar)s residence*C 8hen the &eneral pro'incial election season rolled around in #eptember 2011, -onser'ati'e federal 0ember of 3arliament <ean <el 0astro, now under indictment b% ,lections -anada, was forced to apolo&i?e after usin& federal 3arliamentar% resources to commission ,lect1i&ht)s .uestionable pollin& in the 3eterborou&h race* >n one of the most hotl% contested federal election races won b% -onser'ati'es in 2011, 8lad%slaw Di?on)s campai&n initiall% claimed that all suspicious li'e and robo"callin& had been done b% ,lect1i&ht* +ine months later Di?on conceded that 1esponsi'e

0arketin& ;roup, >nc* had also done $10,000 in unpaid work for the campai&n* Di?on won his seat b% less than /00 'otes* #pecial appro'al is re.uired for a Toronto police officer to take on an outside Eob of such ma&nitude* >nformation that > ha'e not been able to confirm su&&ests that durin& the 2011 federal election, 0cFar.uhar was assi&ned to special dut% workin& directl% for Toronto 3olice -hief 2ill 2lair* Toda%, > will lea'e 'oice or electronic mail messa&es at se'eral numbers or addresses for 0cFar.uhar, Fantino, 2lair, ,lect1i&ht, and 1ebecca ;rund%, ,lect1i&ht)s one known emplo%ee at the time* > will post an updated 'ersion of this article with an% related information as soon as it is recei'ed* -:11,-T>:+F An earlier 'ersion of this article stated that @Fantino)s 2010 campai&n oddl% filed an ,lections -anada claim of ?ero e9penseC rather than, as currentl% stated, @?ero e9penses related to li'e or automated call work*C Fantino)s 2010 e9pense reportin& can be found hereF httpFGGwww*elections*caG83A33#G83FG,+G--G<etailed1eport? actH-2Ie'entidH33Ireturnt%peH1IoptionH2IpartH3AI.uer%idHJ5e4Kce4aJeaK12b401=Kcf25b1Jae ed L3<AT,F > ha'e published a spreadsheet detailin& :ntario federal -3- candidates) nearl% $300M in e9penses with ,lect1i&ht in 2011 here httpFGGwww*scribd*comGdocG20=0==10/* 8hile > ha'e not recei'ed an% replies so far 'ia email, Jim 1oss, formerl% of Front 3orch #trate&ies and now N apparentl% " with ,lect1i&ht A,1B, took to twitter A6Jim1oss#trate&%B in response to con'ersations there to denounce @conspirac% theorists*C 0r* 1oss later replied to Trace% Ment, who worked for Fantino durin& the 2010 b%"election and has since blown the whistle on campai&n 'iolations, @ ,1 was not in'ol'ed in that b%election, nor was >* >f %ou are alle&in& wron&doin& on m% part, do so clearl% not b% insinuation*C