Ottawa-area residents who travel Highway 401 toward Cornwall and Montreal are following a court case in Eastern Ontario that could remove a mayoral candidate from the ballot just weeks before election day. An Ontario Superior Court of Justice hearing was held Friday, October 2, at 1 p.m. at the Cornwall courthouse on Second Street West to decide whether Councillor Sarah Good is in default under the Municipal Elections Act over her 2022 campaign finance filing.
What the complaint says
According to the affidavit, "Mr. Towndale informed me that he had been in possession of this information since before August 21, 2026, but did not previously raise any concerns." The issue centres on Good's March 2023 financial filing for her 2022 council campaign, which allegedly did not include a required auditor's report. The affidavit states that "prior to that concern being raised, City staff were not aware that there was a question regarding the completeness of the 2022 filing."
The requirement matters because of the dollar figure involved: Good's total campaign contributions for the 2022 race came to $10,308, just above the $10,000 threshold that triggers the need for an auditor's report.
Timing raises questions
The sequence of events has become part of the dispute. Good filed her mayoral nomination papers on August 20, 2026, and her nomination was certified the following day, August 21, the very same day the concern about her 2022 filing surfaced. Good has said she believes the information was deliberately held back until that moment, telling the court, "I believe that information was intentionally withheld."
