Introducing Operation Junk Mail

For Election 42, we want to post the campaign literature sent to your home so that we can better fact-check, analyze, and hold candidates accountable.

By David Hains

Photo by Sean Smith from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

Pamphlets, door hangers, and postcards are all an important part of how candidates connect with voters. These pieces of election advertising promote candidate values, share their promises and vision for the community, and occasionally attack a rival. Even though candidates say a great deal through this literature, it’s mostly ephemeral, as voters quickly discard their junk mail, and the enclosed promises and statements go forgotten.

With your help, we want to change that.

We’re asking readers (like you!) to share Toronto election literature you receive or see, whatever it may be. Some of it might be questionable or egregious. Other examples might just outline local promises—but these are good to keep track of for long-term accountability purposes (and this post will provide a place to re-visit those promises). Other pamphlets may illustrate the evolving strategy, language, and tactics individual campaigns use, and what that says about particular Toronto ridings and the political landscape.

And who needs Yad Vashem when holocaust awareness is now being promoted on partisan Conservative signage? pic.twitter.com/9KelOSIWLX

— Jonathan Kay (@jonkay) August 16, 2015

In York Centre, where about 20 per cent of the electorate is Jewish, Conservative MP Mark Adler has incorrectly boasted of being the first child of Holocaust survivors elected to Canada’s Parliament.

Here's the back of the “Trudeau pot plan” card sent out by the #CPC in York Centre. pic.twitter.com/rtCYi3tzKn

— Sean Marshall (@Sean_YYZ) August 17, 2015

Also in York Centre, Conservative advertising uses former Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis’ image to criticize Justin Trudeau’s stance on marijuana.

We want more examples of local ads that you see and that you are receiving at home. We’ll fact-check, analyze, and follow-up on ads as needed.

Please include the following:

• A photo of the political literature or ad.
• The local riding, major intersection, and date it was received.
• The candidate, party, or third party organization that sent the material.
• If you are affiliated with any particular political party or candidate, please indicate which one.

You can share them the following ways:

• Comment in the thread of the post.
• Share them on Twitter with the hashtag #TOelxn42ads
• Email us: Tips *at* Torontoist.com

As contributions come in we’ll update below the line, with the most recent appearing at the top.

To everyone who shares what they see on the campaign: You’re the best.