Ottawa mayoral candidate charged for alleged death threats against Doug Ford and Mark Sutcliffe

A candidate for mayor of Ottawa is facing multiple charges for allegedly making death threats against Ontario Premier Doug Ford and incumbent Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe earlier this month.

Charges filed in Kingston, Ont., against Geoffrey Nicholas Griplas cite social media posts this month

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A candidate for mayor of Ottawa is facing multiple charges for allegedly making death threats against Ontario Premier Doug Ford and incumbent Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

Geoffrey Nicholas Griplas was charged on Sept. 15 with two counts of criminal harassment, as well as two counts of uttering death threats allegedly made by social media posts between the dates of Sept. 6 and Sept. 13.

CBC News has obtained court documents that detail the charges and name the targets of the alleged offences as Ford and Sutcliffe, who is running for re-election as Ottawa mayor. 

The documents say the conduct took place in Kingston, Ont., and could reasonably be expected to cause the premier and mayor to believe their safety was threatened.

Griplas has previously run for Ottawa city council in 2018 for Ward 1, which covers part of the eastern community of Orléans. He has had previous run-ins with the justice system that include multiple harassment charges.

He registered to run for Ottawa mayor on Aug. 21 of this year, the last day of nominations for the Oct. 26 election.

While the name posted on the public list of candidates is Geoff Nicholas, the candidate provided a full name including Griplas elsewhere on his nomination documents, which also include an address matching that on the charge sheet.

Social media posts

CBC News has viewed social media posts that remain on a Facebook page using the name Geoffrey Nicholas Griplas.

A post dated Sept. 6 shows a flyer for the Silver Lake campsite on fire with the words "kill Da Cliff" and another message partly obscured by the flames. It is captioned with the words "shame on you Mark!"

A video showing the same flyer was posted on Sept. 10, where the words "mayor must die" are fully visible.

A video post dated Sept. 12 shows a trashed room where the bedsheets have been streaked with a red substance, while other markings spell out the words "F-k Ford" and "Kill Ford."

In another video posted on Sept. 14, a day that is outside the period covered by the charges, a man with a concealed face can be seen brandishing what appears to be a revolver and screaming various phrases, including the words "dead, dead, dead."

The Kingston courthouse confirmed that Griplas appeared virtually on Thursday and remains in custody. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 21 for a potential bail hearing.

Police were present at a campaign launch event Sutcliffe held on Wednesday. When asked if they are providing the mayor with a security detail, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) declined to comment on any security measures or posture it is taking, citing the need to protect operational security and reduce risk to public safety.

But it said it is taking the threats seriously.

"In response to threats against Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, OPS assessed the information available and took appropriate steps to enhance our policing response," it said in a written statement.

Sutcliffe's office declined comment, while Ford's office said it won't comment on matters before the court.

The 2018 election

According to court documents from the Ottawa Courthouse, Griplas faced criminal harassment charges following the 2018 election.

In one case, that resulted in a guilty plea for mischief and a sentence of three years probation, while in two other cases he was found not criminally responsible.

Sutcliffe moderated a Rogers TV debate that Griplas participated in for his unsuccessful 2018 city council run. In his opening statement at that debate, Griplas said he had been previously incarcerated and was "brainwashed to perform an act of terrorism."

The bar to register to run for mayor of Ottawa is low. Candidates must pay $200 and provide signatures from 25 Ottawa residents, a rule that is common to all Ontario municipalities with 4,000 or more voters.

All of the signatures on Griplas's nomination documents are dated the day of or the day before he registered.

Starting on Sept. 1, mayoral candidates are able to access a voter list that includes the name and address of eligible voters across the city.

Candidates must submit a request. Elections Ottawa staff told CBC News that would produce a record and they confirmed that there is no such record of Griplas requesting those materials during the 2026 campaign period.

When CBC News asked city media relations whether they would be able to prevent him from doing so in the future, they said city clerk Caitlin Salter MacDonald, the top official responsible for the election, was not in a position to respond or comment further on that at this time.

Asked if Griplas will remain on the ballot on Oct. 26, Salter MacDonald said that certified candidates are required to be listed on the ballot in accordance with the Municipal Elections Act.