Update
A note to Liberal Party members obtained by SooToday says "Liam Hancock will be acclaimed as the candidate of the Ontario Liberal Party in the electoral district of Sault Ste.Marie at the nomination meeting. Due to ongoing restrictions for large in-person gatherings, the nomination meeting will take place virtually via webcast."
More to follow.
Original story
The Ontario Liberal Party has suggested that it plans on running a Sault Ste. Marie candidate in the 2022 provincial election.
According to the Election Ontario website, the deadline for candidates to file nomination papers is May 12 at 2 p.m.
"We currently have 123 candidates nominated — our plan is to run a full slate of candidates," said Liberal press secretary Andrea Ernesaks in an email to SooToday Wednesday.
The news comes after Aidan Kallioinen, an 18-year-old high school student from Espanola, was turfed as Liberal candidate for the Sault Ste. Marie riding Tuesday after being acclaimed the night before.
Kallioninen said his ousting as Liberal candidate was linked to an opinion piece alleging the teen participated in "Minecraft chats where there’s lots of jokes about people dying of AIDS."
The aspiring politician has said that allegations regarding his online activity aren't true.
“It was apparently some group of people I associated with in an online forum years ago that said some very derogatory things for which I had no control or involvement in. Nothing I said personally came to light," said Kallioinen, speaking with SooToday Tuesday. "It was a reporter, I believe in the Toronto Sun, who was a previous Liberal staffer and had some issues with the way we were nominating candidates and wanted another candidate to be nominated in the Sault.
“I don’t even know what to say to that. I have no personal involvement in it, so I can’t control what those people say, nor did I have any involvement."
A previous bid by Sault Ste. Marie lawyer Naomi Sayers to run as the Liberal candidate for the riding was rejected by the Ontario Liberals due to the Liberals' inability to complete its own vetting process.
Sayers told SooToday that she submitted all the information that was required for the vetting process April 6.
"Given the additional information you have provided in recent days, the enormous volume of material (including over 200,000 social media posts) that still requires review and research, and the ongoing legal proceedings you are party to, we will not be able to complete the vetting process in time for you to stand as a nomination contestant/candidate," said Liberal nomination commissioner Charrissa Klander in an email to Sayers dated April 28. "Given the fact that we are days away from the election being called, and we will be unable to complete full vetting, I am writing to advise you that I have instructed staff to stop further review of your nomination application."
"I’m not sure what it takes to vet a candidate," said Sayers, speaking with SooToday Wednesday. “Too honest? You don’t get vetted. You hide things? You don’t get vetted."
Sayers will now appear on the ballot as an independent candidate.
The 2022 Ontario election is slated for June 2.
