Oshawa Ward 5 and Regional Councillor Brian Nicholson has denied online allegations accusing him of accepting illegal campaign contributions from developers, labeling the claims as “unsupported smears.”
Nicholson emphasized his compliance with the Ontario Municipal Elections Act and announced he is taking steps to protect his reputation, including releasing his full financial records (see below) and threatening legal action.
He issued a public statement on Tuesday after online posts accused the councillor of developer advocacy and corruption regarding his campaign finances.
“I normally would not respond but if these smears are not corrected, people will think they are accurate,” Nicholson said.
He pointed out that provincial law explicitly bans municipal candidates from accepting corporate or union donations, with violations carrying the penalty of losing one’s council seat.
Independent Audit
He noted that his campaign expenditures exceeded $10,000, triggering a mandatory independent audit by a certified accountant, which resulted in a full statement of compliance.
Nicholson further highlighted that all contributions to his campaign came strictly from individual personal bank accounts, and that the city’s citizen review committee received zero complaints regarding his filed reports.
To counter what he described as “made-up charts” circulating online, Nicholson released his complete 2022 campaign financial report for public review and pledged to file an equally transparent audited report following the conclusion of the 2026 election cycle.
In conclusion, Nicholson warned that the ongoing online accusations constitute libel and slander. He issued a formal notice for those responsible to cease and desist immediately, stating that failure to do so could result in further legal action from himself or the individual donors targeted by the allegations.
Click below for the councillor’s statement declaration.
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