News:

Today Working Families frontman Patrick Dillon was called to testify before the Standing Committee on Government Agencies about his involvement in the last two Ontario Election Campaigns. It has been revealed that Working Families includes a coalition of high-priced advertising and polling firms that moonlight as pollsters and ad-men for the Ontario Liberal Party.

Working Families advertising firms Arrow Communications and Policomm are both owned by political operative Marcel Wieder. In addition to his work producing attack ads for Working Families, Wieder’s businesses have received $476,000 in contracts from the Ontario Liberal Party, $1,400,000 in contracts from the Ontario Liberal Caucus and $152,000 in taxpayer-funded contracts from the McGuinty Government.

Working Families polling firm Pollara was formerly run by Dalton McGuinty’s former Chief of Staff and current Liberal Campaign Director Don Guy. In addition to their work polling in advance of the Working Families attack ad campaigns, Pollara has also received $660,000 in contracts from the Ontario Liberal Party, $1,607,000 in contracts from the Ontario Liberal Caucus and $1,870,000 in taxpayer-funded contracts from the McGuinty Government.

Quotes:

– Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

Quick Facts:

• Since 2003, the Working Families ad man Marcel Weider has collected $2,028,000 from the Ontario Liberal Party, the Ontario Liberal Caucus and the Government of Ontario.
• Since 2003, the Working Families polling firm, Pollara, has collected $4,137,000 from the Ontario Liberal Party, the Ontario Liberal Caucus and the Government of Ontario.
• Marcel Wieder and Pollara did work simultaneously for the Ontario Liberal Party and Working Families Coalition in the 2003 and 2007 election campaigns.