Doug Ford breached Ontario’s strict new campaign rules by attending a Progressive Conservative fundraiser last month, the Star has learned.As a result, Tory organizer Srini Suppiramaniam was fired Wednesday shortly after the Star inquired about the event.Ford participated in the $250-a-plate April 29 dinner at the Chandni Banquet Hall in Scarborough — held the same night as the Toronto Strong vigil for victims of the Yonge St. van attack.Read more: Brampton East PC candidate Simmer Sandhu steps down after ‘allegations anonymously made against me’Opinion | Martin Regg Cohn: Don’t let Ontario’s party leaders conspire against a minority governmentDoug Ford promises to cut gas prices by 10 cents a litreWhile his earlier attendance at the Mel Lastman Square vigil was included on the Tory leader’s official itinerary that is distributed to the media, the fundraiser was not.“We have just been made aware that the leader was misinformed by the organizer about the nature of the event,” said PC campaign spokesperson Melissa Lantsman.“The organizer has been removed from the campaign team effective immediately,” she said.“Doug Ford and the Ontario PC Party always follow Elections Ontario fundraising rules, and as such we are filing an infraction,” said Lantsman.“Any money raised at the event that was given to the campaign as a donation will be returned to the donors and we will not accept any money from these guests going forward,” she said.“Doug Ford takes full responsibility for what happened, and we will be putting protocols in place to ensure this never happens again.”Contacted by the Star, Suppiramaniam said “there was nothing wrong” with the event, then hung up the phone. He did not return voice-mail messages.Ford was photographed chatting with attendees at the event where head-table participants paid $2,000 apiece to rub shoulders with the man who polls sug ...
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