Candidate apologizes for removing opponent’s campaign flyer from door in Barrhaven West
A candidate for councillor in the Ottawa ward of Barrhaven West is apologizing for removing an opponent's campaign flyer from a doorway and dropping it to the ground while canvassing.
David Hill says he has reached out to Taayo Simmonds to apologize, and is offering a "sincere apology" to all Barrhaven West residents for what he calls a "lapse in judgement."
Simmonds shared a video on Twitter of an unidentified man removing a pamphlet from a door in Barrhaven West on Sept. 21, dropping it on the ground and placing a new flyer in the door.
"This is something residents of Barrhaven West need to know about," Simmonds said.
"As you can see in the video below, Mr. Hill saw my hand delivered campaign material in a #Barrrhaven West resident's door. This was not a volunteer, it was Mr. Hill himself."
Simmonds issued a statement to the media on Oct. 6, saying he had sent in a complaint to City Clerk Rick O'Connor about a video showing a candidate, "knowingly discarding my campaign literature from a home" in Barrhaven West.
"Barrhaven West residents deserve a fair and ethical race," Simmonds said in the statement, which included a Google file of the video. "David Hill's actions are in violation of this expectation."
CTV News Ottawa reached out to the homeowner about the video last week, and has not independently verified whether Hill is the man shown in the video.
On Wednesday afternoon, Hill apologized for removing the flyer from the door.
"The other day when I was canvassing, I removed and dropped to the ground my opponent's flyer. This was wrong, I have already reached out to apologize to Taayo Simmonds and I want to offer my sincere apology to Barrhaven West residents for my lapse in judgement," Hill said on Twitter.
"I have always strived to ensure that my entire campaign team and I remain focused on the needs of the residents of Barrhaven and that we refrain from engaging in any form of personal attacks or disinformation and conduct ourselves with the utmost integrity. In this particular incident, I failed to live up to those standards, and I apologize unreservedly."
Hill's campaign told CTV News Ottawa Wednesday evening that he was unavailable for an interview.
Hill and Simmonds are two of the four candidates running for election in Barrhaven West. Incumbent Jan Harder is not seeking re-election.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Tyre Nichols' brutal beating by police shown on video
Memphis authorities released video footage Friday showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by police officers who held the Black motorist down and repeatedly struck him with their fists, boots and batons as he screamed for his mother and pleaded, ''I'm just trying to go home.'

W5 EXCLUSIVE | Interviewing a narco hitman: my journey into Mexico's cartel heartland
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.
OPINION | Selling a home? How to know if you qualify for a capital gains exemption
When selling a home, Canadians may be exempted from paying capital gains tax on a residential property -- if it's their principal residence. On CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew explains what's determined as a principal residence, and what properties are eligible for the exemption.
CRA head says it 'wouldn't be worth the effort' to review all ineligible pandemic payments
The head of the Canada Revenue Agency says it 'wouldn't be worth the effort' to fully review $15.5 billion in potentially ineligible pandemic wage benefit payments flagged by Canada's Auditor General.
Lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan fulfils dream of seeing first game, passes away next day
Mike Davy always dreamed of going to a Toronto Maple Leafs game, and once it finally happened, he passed away the night after.
'This is too much': B.C. mom records police handcuffing 12-year-old in hospital
A review has been launched after police officers were recorded restraining a handcuffed Indigenous child on the floor of a Vancouver hospital – an incident the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has denounced as "horrendous."
WHO decision on COVID-19 emergency won't affect Canada's response: Tam
The World Health Organization will announce Monday whether it thinks COVID-19 still represents a global health emergency but Canada's top doctor says regardless of what the international body decides, Canada's response to the coronavirus will not change.
Canadian university faculty getting older, more female compared to 50 years ago: StatCan
Canadian university professors are mostly older and increasingly more female compared to 50 years ago, a new report from Statistics Canada has found.
Canadian Hyundai vehicles unaffected by theft issue in the U.S., company says
Hyundai cars in Canada don't have the same anti-theft issue compared to those in the United States, a company spokesperson says, following reports that two American auto insurers are refusing to write policies for older models.