Local Liberal Party candidate Ben Levine is raising concerns after his campaign was kicked off the property of two local businesses last weekend.
Levine said the Canada Elections Act allows candidates and their representatives to campaign on private property, when it is open to the public for free. But that didn't stop the Tim Hortons in the Hart from interfering with Levine's campaigning outside their doors on Saturday.
"I was having a nice conversation with people, exercising my democratic right to associate and participate in an election," he said. "An employee of the store approached me and told me the owner of the store did not want us on their property, and we were told to leave. It seems democracy is being shut down."
And Tim Hortons isn't the only business to curtail democracy.
Saturday evening some of Levine's campaign staff were campaigning outside Save-On Foods in the Hart when they the manager asked them to leave.
Levine said that incident was a misunderstanding, which he later resolved.
"The manager was put in a tough spot... and he acted professionally," Levine said. "I called him... and we had a good talk about the Canada Elections Act."
Section 81.1 (1) of the act allows candidates to campaign anywhere normally accessible to the public.
"No person who is in control of a building, land, street or any other place, any part of which is open without charge to members of the public, whether on a continuous, periodic or occasional basis - including any commercial, business, cultural, historical, educational, religious, governmental, entertainment or recreational place - may prevent a candidate or his or her representative from campaigning in or on that part when it is open without charge to members of the public," the act states.
However, the act makes an exception if campaigning would be "incompatible with the function and purpose of the place or inconsistent with public safety."
Save-On Foods spokesperson Julie Dickson said the company does follow the law, but asks any group - political or otherwise - to call them first.
"Ordinarily if there is a group having a conversation with our customers... we'd like to talk to them in advance," Dickson said.
The store manager can then advise that group about the best location for them to be in without interfering with store operations, she said.
The manager of the Hart Tim Hortons was unable to comment on the incident, and a spokesperson for Tim Hortons Canada could not be reached for comment as of press time.
