TORONTO — An Ottawa mayoral candidate is in custody on charges of criminal harassment and uttering death threats after alleged social media posts targeting Premier Doug Ford and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. Geoffrey Nicholas Griplas, listed on the public ballot as Geoff Nicholas, was charged Tuesday in Kingston with two counts of each offence tied to posts between Sept. 6 and Sept. 13. He remains in custody after a virtual Kingston appearance Thursday and is due back Monday for a potential bail hearing.Kingston Police say they were alerted Sept. 13 to “concerning behaviour and comments” by a person “residing transiently in Ontario and Quebec.” Const. Anthony Colangeli said the posts “espoused violence against current political figures, specifically Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe,” and that investigators then formed grounds for the charges. Ottawa police said they assessed threats against Sutcliffe and “took appropriate steps to enhance” their response, without describing those measures. Officers were present at Sutcliffe’s campaign launch on Wednesday..A Sept. 6 post shows a flyer with the words “kill Da Cliff” and the caption “shame on you Mark!” A Sept. 10 video shows the same flyer marked “mayor must die.” A Sept. 12 video shows a room with pillows streaked in a red substance and markings including “Kill Ford.”A Sept. 14 video, which falls outside the dates on the charge sheet, shows a concealed-face man holding what appears to be a revolver and shouting “dead, dead, dead.” The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.Griplas registered for mayor on Aug. 21, the last nomination day, and is one of 14 certified candidates. City clerk Caitlin Salter MacDonald said a certified name must stay on the ballot under the Municipal Elections Act. He ran for Ottawa council in Ward 1 in 2018.Ford’s office and Sutcliffe have not issued detailed public comments on the posts beyond the police security response. The next court date is Monday in Kingston.
