A candidate for city council, who also works for the city, is facing scrutiny over wearing City-of-London-branded apparel while canvassing, which may violate a city regulation.
Sam Hajar, employed in the city’s planning department, is running for a council position in Ward 7.
As mandated by the Municipal Act, he has taken an unpaid leave from his job during his campaign period.
In a post on his Instagram account on Thursday, Hajar can be seen standing at someone’s doorstep – pamphlets in hand – dressed in a black shirt and hat displaying London’s well-known tree logo.
“Another great day out in Ward 7!” the post states. “Enjoyed going door to door, meeting residents and having conversations about our community.”
In another Instagram post on Monday, Hajar appears at yet another house’s doorway, sporting a hat with the City of London logo and a shirt featuring the city’s bicentennial emblem.
A city bylaw, which you can read here, governs how city resources can be used during elections. Its purpose is to “preserve integrity in the elections process” and to ensure that “no candidate.. is provided with an unfair advantage.”
According to Section 4.2 of this bylaw, “city resources should not be used by a candidate.”
This includes staff time from the city, printing supplies, computers, as well as “registered trademarks held by the City of London and the City of London Coat of Arms (e. g., City of London Logo).”
Clerk’s office issues statement
In a statement to , the clerk’s office confirmed that they were made aware of Hajar’s posts on Thursday.
During an interview with , Hajar mentioned that he purchased the hats and shirt he wore in his Instagram photos from a store located at city hall selling city-branded items. However, according to statements from the clerk’s office: “City of London branded clothing is only sold to City of London employees.”
The statement also noted that sales of city-branded golf shirts ceased in 2023.
“I don’t think there really is a grey area here,” said Hajar. “When I knock on the door I make it clear that I’m a candidate in Ward 7. There’s not confusion. I don’t show my city ID or anything like that.”
The apparel he’s worn while campaigning isn’t identical to those issued by the city for work purposes; his job involves interpreting bylaws and sometimes visiting homes to look into complaints.
“They don’t say my department on them,” he explained. “I don’t see any issue with wearing a hat or shirt that has a city logo on it. I don’t always wear them.”
Hajar mentioned he might reconsider wearing clothing branded with the city’s logo while campaigning.
“If it’s going to cause confusion for residents of London, I could stop wearing them. Now that it’s been brought to my attention, I might just stop wearing the hat and city logo shirt if that’s become an issue,” he stated.
Could confuse voters, opponent says
![]()
Dan Meinen , a building inspector for the city running for council in Ward 7 , believes candidates shouldn’t wear branded clothing when campaigning.(Andrew Lupton/)
Dan Meinen also works for the city while running as a candidate in Ward 7 but said he won’t file any complaint regarding Hajar’s posts.
Still , the rules exist so voters clearly understand they’re speaking with someone campaigning rather than an employee conducting official business , Meinen pointed out.
“The main issue with wearing city-issued apparel on campaign trails is it makes you look like an official employee,” stated Meinen who has also taken unpaid leave during his campaign.
“Wearing it while canvassing undermines all City of London employees who wear that uniform,” he added. “It makes candidates seem more official when election canvassing isn’t official business at all. It can create confusion.”
Meinen observed that his own inspection shirts are quite similar visually to what Hajar wore in his post.
Regarding possible consequences , the city’s statement indicates they won’t comment on specific cases concerning penalties.
Any penalties would fall under Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act which outlines various penalties including fines. The application of any formal penalties would ultimately be decided by judicial authorities.
The deadline for candidates submitting their nomination papers for mayoral , councilor , and school board races falls at Friday at 2 PM. Voters across Ontario will cast their ballots during municipal election races scheduled for October 26.
Source link
