UCP MLA Devinder Toor fined $15K by Elections Alberta

Devinder Toor, United Conservative MLA for Calgary-Falconridge, has been fined $15,000 by Elections Alberta for violations both as a nomination candidate and as a candidate in the 2019 provincial election. 

According to Elections Alberta, Toor faces the following charges for his time as a provincial candidate:

• Accepting a prohibited contribution from a corporation of which he was a director, in the form of use of property. 
• Exceeding expense limits. 
• Filing a false financial statement with the chief electoral officer. 
• Borrowing money from a "party other than a financial institution."
• Failing to deposit contributions into the account on record with the chief financial officer. 

Prior to the election, as Toor fought to become the UCP candidate in the northeast Calgary riding, Elections Alberta says he committed the following violations:

• A person other than his chief financial officer accepted donations. 
• Accepting a prohibited contribution from a corporation of which he was a director, in the form of use of property. 
• Exceeding expense limits. 
• Filing a false financial statement with the chief electoral officer. 
• Failing to deposit contributions into the account on record with the chief financial officer. 

Toor narrowly won his seat in 2019, besting the NDP contender, Parmeet Singh Boparai, by 91 votes. The tight race required a judicial recount. 

His financial officer for both contests, Sahib Bhakri, faces $14,000 in fines including failure to keep proper records, filing false statements and accepting banned corporate donations. 

The corporation in question, 2082146 Alberta Ltd., which Elections Alberta says included Toor as a director, has been fined $4,500 for donating to both campaigns. 

Recent registry filings do not list Toor as a director, but do note the company changed the list of directors in March of this year. 

Toor said in an emailed statement that he fully participated in the Election Commissioner's investigation, and that while he believed his finances were accurate as filed, he acknowledges the commissioner's findings that that was not the case.

"I should have done better to oversee full and complete compliance with the election finance laws. The fault ultimately rests with me," Toor said.

He said he will be paying the fines as ordered. 

News of the fines prompted a quick response from the NDP.

"Mr. Toor must resign, and Jason Kenney needs to eject him immediately from the government caucus for this corrupt behaviour," said NDP Deputy Leader Sarah Hoffman in a news release.

"This is not a simple mistake. These are willful, deliberate breaches of election laws that call into question Mr. Toor's integrity, and his ability to hold the public's trust. Albertans should be outraged at this level of sleaziness and corruption in Jason Kenney's UCP caucus."

The UCP caucus has not yet responded to requests for comment.