Ottawa Mayoral Candidate Charged With Threatening Premier Ford and Mayor Sutcliffe

A candidate contesting the upcoming Ottawa mayoral election has been charged with allegedly issuing threats against Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.
Police identified the accused as Geoffrey Nicholas Gripplas, 48, who registered his candidacy for the October 26 mayoral election on August 21. According to Kingston Police, Gripplas faces charges of criminal harassment and uttering death threats.
Court documents reveal that the alleged threats were linked to social media posts made between September 6 and September 13, in which violent remarks were directed at political leaders. Authorities became aware of the comments on September 13 after receiving reports of online posts suggesting violence against elected officials.
Gripplas was arrested by Ottawa Police on Tuesday and later transferred to Kingston. Investigators claim that a weapon was found in his possession at the time of arrest. As a result, additional charges were filed, including committing an offence with a weapon, possession of a firearm without a licence, and carrying a weapon in a vehicle.
The accused appeared in court on Thursday and is scheduled to return on Monday. Neither Mayor Sutcliffe’s office nor Gripplas’s campaign team has commented on the matter. Premier Ford’s office stated that, since the case is before the courts, it would not be appropriate to issue a statement.
The incident has raised concerns about safety during the election campaign, with police continuing their investigation into the nature and extent of the alleged threats.