N.S. Liberals drop court case alleging PCs tried to buy votes with Tim Hortons gift cards

The Liberal Party of Nova Scotia has decided to drop their legal challenge against Progressive Conservative candidate Susan Corkum-Greek, who was accused of handing out Tim Hortons gift cards to potential voters during the provincial election campaign. The court papers filed on November 12 alleged that Corkum-Greek was attempting to buy votes in Lunenburg.

In a statement released by Margaret Miller, the president of the provincial Liberal Party, it was stated that while concerns were raised by members of the community, they believe it is the responsibility of Elections Nova Scotia to investigate and address any potential violations of the Elections Act. The party respects the decision made by voters in the last election and has chosen to no longer pursue the matter.

Corkum-Greek, who declined to comment on the issue, was re-elected as the Tory incumbent two weeks after the legal challenge was filed. Her campaign manager, Peter Zwicker, admitted to purchasing $51.75 worth of gift cards to distribute to motorists at a Tim Hortons drive-thru. Each gift card was valued at $2.07, the price of a small cup of coffee. Zwicker resigned from his position following the incident.

John Robart, the local Liberal riding president, had previously stated that the gift cards were an attempt to influence voters and called for Corkum-Greek to be disqualified from her position in the House of Assembly. However, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court decided not to hear the case until after the election on November 26.

Despite the controversy surrounding the gift card incident, Corkum-Greek secured 60% of the vote in the election, winning by nearly 3,000 votes over her closest rival, Liberal Melissa Duggan.

Following the decision to drop the legal challenge, Premier Tim Houston expressed his satisfaction, stating that it was just a volunteer who made a mistake and that the case should have been dropped. Corkum-Greek was one of two ministers who were not reappointed in the post-election cabinet selection, along with former Minister of Advanced Education Brian Wong.

Overall, the decision to walk away from the legal challenge marks the end of a contentious chapter in the recent provincial election, allowing both parties to move forward and focus on their respective roles in the government.