THUNDER BAY — After putting up a strong second-place finish in Thunder Bay’s 2022 mayoral race, Gary Mack won’t be able to take a second crack at the job in 2026.
Mack is officially disqualified from running for municipal office until after the 2026 municipal election, after failing to file financial statements from his 2022 campaign, as required under provincial legislation.
The city confirmed Mack and five other 2022 candidates will face that penalty in a campaign finance compliance report released on Wednesday.
In a statement provided to TBnewswatch, Mack said he still intends to complete the process and share the results.
"There was a delay obtaining an audit of my campaign finances," he wrote. "I have made arrangements for an audit to be conducted at the end of June and will share the results with the public at that time."
The business owner finished a close second in the October election, falling 1,393 votes short with 34.3 per cent of the total vote share, compared to Mayor Ken Boshcoff’s 38.2 per cent.
A former executive director of the Shelter House, Mack had generated enthusiasm with a campaign that promised greater municipal action on social issues like homelessness and addictions.
The other candidates who did not file their financial statements by the deadline, and will be disqualified in 2026, include at-large candidates Dan Courtney, James Glavish, Iqbal Khan; Red River Ward candidate James Dean Marsh; and English public school board candidate Ahsanul Habib.
The remaining 85 candidates in the municipal and school board elections filed their statements by the deadline of March 31, the city reported.
Candidates have an additional 30 days after that deadline to file their paperwork with a late fee of $500.
The city noted candidates were informed and reminded multiple times of their responsibility to file the financial statements during and after the election.
Candidates’ financial statements are publicly available at the city’s election website.
Any eligible voter who believes “on reasonable grounds” that a candidate has contravened campaign finance rules under the Municipal Elections Act can request a compliance audit of that candidate’s finances. The deadline to make such a request is June 29.
After the 2014 election, mayoral candidate Shane Judge was disqualified after his financial report was not accepted by the clerk's office before the deadline, but he went to court and had the penalties waived. He ran for mayor a second time in 2018.
The city’s compliance report also identified two cases in which the city clerk identified donations that appear to have contravened contribution limits under the Act.
Reports on those potential violations will be sent to the city’s compliance audit committee.
The disqualified candidates will re-gain their right to stand for municipal or school board positions after the 2026 election.
Note: This story has been updated with comment received from Gary Mack after it was first published.
