Community activist charged with assaulting woman
Andray Domise was a one-time electoral opponent of Rob Ford
Andray Domise, a regular Maclean’s magazine columnist, vocal community activist and one-time electoral opponent of Rob Ford, has been charged with assault.
The 36-year-old is accused of assaulting Toronto photographer Chantal Denne three times between March and September 2015, court documents show. Domise is also charged with mischief for alleged damage to Denne’s cellphone.
None of the allegations has been proven in court. Mitchell Worsoff, Domise’s lawyer, said the social commentator “vigorously” contests the charges and maintains his innocence. “Mr. Domise is an outstanding individual and he’s an intelligent and responsible member of our community,” Worsoff said. “Similarly to many others who find themselves accused of this type of offence, (he is) the subject of falsities and exaggerations.”
Domise did not respond to requests for comment from the Star on Monday.
He received ample media attention during the 2014 municipal election, when he ran in Ward 2 against Rob Ford, who was vying for his old council seat after he was diagnosed with cancer and dropped out of the mayoral race. He had worked in Toronto’s financial industry for almost a decade and attended the University of Windsor for political science from 2010 to 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile. He lost the election to Ford by more than 10,000 votes, reaping 8.2 per cent of ballots cast in the north Etobicoke ward.
Domise co-hosted a politics podcast for the media watchdog site Canadaland and has written for various publications, including the Globe and Mail, Vice Canada, Toronto Life, TVO and Maclean’s.
Last year, he co-founded a mentorship and development program, called Techsdale, to teach young people in the Rexdale neighbourhood to make apps, websites and videogames. According to the organization’s website, the goal is to create an “innovation hub” with after-school programs to teach programming skills, while providing space for tech and gaming startups in the community.
Canadaland’s editor, Jesse Brown, declined to discuss why Domise is no longer hosting one of their podcasts, citing employer-employee privacy.
“As for the charges,” he wrote in an email, “I think we need to take it very seriously when a woman comes forward. The legal system can be very hard on accusers and I hope that the process is fair for both accuser and accused.”
The charges against Domise were laid in February. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.