A vehicle smashed through the plate glass window of Nikki Kaur's mayoral campaign headquarters in Brampton late Friday evening, heavily damaging the office and forcing the cancellation of her official campaign kickoff.
The crash happened just after 8:30 p.m. at 100 Peel Centre Dr., where Kaur's campaign occupies a former TD Bank branch. According to Rebel News, the car drove forward out of its parking spot outside the office, hopped several curbs and struck the window, causing considerable damage to the building.
The last remaining campaign volunteers had left the building only minutes before the collision, Rebel News reported. A campaign launch event planned for Monday was called off in the aftermath of the crash.
Who is Nikki Kaur?
Kaur is challenging incumbent Patrick Brown for the mayor's chair in Brampton's municipal election, set for Oct. 24. She previously worked as a City of Brampton staffer in the Chief Administrative Office before becoming a whistleblower.
According to The Pointer, Kaur has accused senior city staffers of corruption, delinquent hiring practices and fraudulent procurement, as well as nepotism, bullying and the misuse of public funds.
Speaking in a Facebook video posted after the crash, Kaur said she would not be deterred.
Just because I'm a woman running for office in Brampton, I will not be intimidated, I will not back down.
The quote comes from Kaur's Facebook video, in which she addressed the collision directly.
Police call crash "accidental"
Peel Regional Police have described the incident as "accidental" and "non-suspicious," though the matter remains under investigation. The name of the driver has not been released by police.
The police characterization has drawn scrutiny. Rebel News raised a series of questions about the circumstances of the crash, including why the driver did not reverse out of the parking spot — which the outlet described as the only way out — and why the vehicle continued forward over three curbs before hitting the window.
The outlet also questioned how the incident could already be deemed non-suspicious while the investigation is still underway, and asked whether the crash could have been a politically motivated attempt to push Kaur out of the mayoral race. Police have not suggested the collision was anything other than an accident.
Council meetings cancelled ahead of vote
According to Rebel News, Brown has cancelled all future Brampton City Council meetings ahead of the election. The outlet suggested the move would block inquiries into cancelled investigations at a time when questions about city hall operations remain unresolved.
Peel Regional Police say the investigation into the crash is ongoing.
