AIRDRIE DENTIST RULED INELIGIBLE FOR ONTARIO PC NOMINATION
A Calgary-area dentist who had been seen as the front-runner to win the Progressive Conservative provincial nomination in a southern Ontario riding has been disqualified from the race.
Tanya Khattra filed her papers in September to run for the PC nomination in the riding of Cambridge North Dumfries and soon became the leading candidate in the field of three, despite allegations she didn’t live in the area.
Under Ontario’s Election Act, candidates for provincial office must live in the province for at least six months prior to an election. Ontario voters go to the polls on June 7.
Ron Dancey, vice-president of the Cambridge PC riding association, said Tuesday that Khattra, who’s listed on the staff directory of an Airdrie dental office, wouldn’t be allowed to run for the Ontario PC nomination in the riding.
“I understand that she has been disqualified by the central party, which tells me that she’s probably quit the race,” said Dancey, adding Khattra had recently missed her vetting appointment.
“She’s not eligible here as far as we’re concerned,” he said.
Khattra has insisted she lives in Cambridge. But two senior members of her team, campaign manager Prakash Venkataraman and communications consultant Margaret Barr, publicly announced they were breaking with Khattra, claiming she had not been living in the furnished house she had been renting in Cambridge, a city of 134,000 about 100 kilometres southwest of Toronto.
She has also suggested that despite operating a campaign website, putting together a team and attending events in Cambridge, she was not a declared candidate for the nomination. She reiterated that in an email to Postmedia on Tuesday.
“As you may know, I’ve never formally entered the Cambridge nomination race,” she stated. “I remain enthusiastically committed to the PC cause and I’m continuing to consider how best I can serve. In light of the unexpected leadership race, I’ve decided to throw my full efforts for now behind Christine Elliott’s leadership campaign.”
Elliott, a former PC MPP in Ontario, is running for the leadership of the party following the resignation of Patrick Brown last month due to sexual misconduct allegations. Former Toronto councillor Doug Ford and lawyer Caroline Mulroney are also running for the party’s leadership.