Judge rejects application to extend Tory leadership voting

A roller-coaster Progressive Conservative leadership contest that was triggered by a sexual impropriety scandal six weeks ago concluded with a dramatic courtroom cliffhanger. As Tories elect a new leader Saturday to succeed the discredited Patrick Brown, a judge rejected a last-minute injunction request to allow an additional week of voting. "The convention would have to be rescheduled and perhaps relocated if I were to extend the voting period. The PC leadership campaign would be further postponed," wrote Justice Todd Archibald of Ontario's Superior Court in a decision released almost eight hours after Friday's noon voting deadline had passed, leaving anxious Tories on the edge of their seats all day. "One more week without a leader impacts every member of the Progressive Conservative party of Ontario," continued Archibald, noting the "unprecedented circumstances" and "tight timeline" of the leadership race coming against a backdrop of a June 7 election. A delay would have cost the Conservatives $250,000 in convention rescheduling and mailing expenses. Even though some 64,053 party members had already cast ballots — a record for the party — some felt disenfranchised after not receiving registration packages in the mail. Lawyer Jeffrey Radnoff submitted affidavits from six PC members unable to… Read full this story

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