Police investigate anonymous flyers amid hotly contested mayoral race in Cote St-Luc
A hotly contested mayoral race playing out in the Montreal suburb of Cote St-Luc has become so negative that police are now involved.
Anonymous letters some are describing as intimidating have been mailed to residents.
“[It’s] very, very uncomfortable,” said incumbent mayor Mitchell Brownstein. “There's no place for that in our society.”
Seeking a third mandate, Brownstein said the tone of this election feels very nasty compared to past races.
He said at least five different anonymous, unsigned flyers have been mailed to some residents within the last year. The most recent was also shared in a local Facebook group.
The latest letter attacks Brownstein's character and leadership on everything from COVID-19 to transparency and claims he cares more about his image than his constituents.
It's unclear how many of the flyers were distributed, but Brownstein says some constituents and his staff find it intimidating.
He gave the letter to Montreal police and also to Elections Quebec to determine if it violates election rules.
“It's very difficult for someone in political life to deal with social media and then have to deal with anonymous flyers attacking one's reputation,” he said.
Brownstein's opponent, Cote St-Luc city councillor David Tordjman, agrees it's been a divisive campaign.
“There are issues of transparency, how we spend taxpayer money, and our investment in our infrastructure,” he said.
Tordjman said that neither he nor anyone on his team is responsible for the flyers.
“Everything that comes from my team has our name on it,” he said. “Everything that I say is about our policies.”
Tordjman said he believes the flyers may have come from an angry voter.
“It's unfortunate that letters like these have to go out, that people feel they don't have a voice and they can't say these things," he said, "but we denounce it."
Tordjman said so far no one from Montreal police or Elections Quebec has contacted him.
Montreal police confirmed, though, that they're looking into the matter. Elections Quebec won't confirm or deny whether they are also investigating.
“I only know it's from someone who doesn't want me as mayor, and I have to leave it to the police to determine where it's coming from,” said Brownstein.
Municipal elections are on Nov. 7.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.