Nectarios (Nick) Kouvalis is the principal partner of Campaign Research, a full service marketing research, strategic planning and campaign management firm founded in 2003 by Richard Ciano. Ciano is currently the President of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.^[1] They are both active members of the Canadian political scene, helping to elect many politicians across Canada at all levels of government.

Rob Ford Campaign for Mayor of Toronto[edit]

Kouvalis was the campaign manager in 2010 for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. He is often credited with the success of the campaign, referred to as "the most improbable mayoral win in Canadian history."^[2][3] Kouvalis was appointed as Chief of Staff to Mayor-Elect Ford in October 2010.

Kouvalis stepped down as Chief of Staff to Mayor Ford in February 2011, citing the need to spend more time with his family. Mayor Ford's brother, Councillor Doug Ford, Jr., said that Kouvalis remained "loyal" to the brothers. It is believed that Kouvalis was there to help Ford navigate the transition to government, having no intention of staying very long in the job. While Kouvalis was at Mayor Ford's side, Mayor Ford was able to easily move his agenda items.^[4][5]

Despite his ties to the mayor's office, Campaign Research was hired in 2011 by Toronto firefighters opposing Mayor Ford's cuts. Campaign Research provided public opinion research and campaign support services, while Sussex Strategies was hired to engage in public affairs work with city councillors.^[6]

Kouvalis has also had disputes with Councillor Doug Ford, Jr.^[7]

Federal Election 2011[edit]

After Kouvalis' resignation in February 2011 from his position with Mayor Ford, Kouvalis was involved in the 2011 federal election campaign. The Conservative Party of Canada - of which he is an active member and strategist - won 32 of 47 ridings in the Greater Toronto Area Districts and Mayor Ford has been credited with helping Stephen Harper attain a Conservative majority government.^[8][9][10] After the election, it was revealed that Kouvalis and his firm played a major role in the Conservative success in Ontario, particularly in Toronto.^[11][12]

Controversies[edit]

In 2007, Kouvalis was acquitted^[13] in the Ontario Court of Justice for allegedly uttering a death threat against Jeff Watson, a Conservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament. Kouvalis was accused of saying he would kill Watson "with [his] bare hands and get away with it, I would," on July 13, 2005. At the time, he was serving as campaign manager to Conservative candidate Rick Fuschi. Justice Lloyd Dean concluded that the words were simply an "expression of frustration" and merely spoken in the heat of the moment, which often occurs in politics.

In 2011, Kouvalis' firm received a few complaints through the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association over phone calls in Mont Royal. Complaints suggested that Campaign Research had incorrectly implied to voters that Irwin Cotler was about to retire. Kouvalis denied any wrongdoing, and stated, "We’re in the business of getting Conservatives elected and ending Liberal careers. We’re good at it”. Kouvalis also welcomed any scrutiny from the MRIA.^[14]

On November 28, 2012, the Toronto Star reported an investigation by the MRIA about the Mont Royal controversy. The MRIA concluded that the actions of Campaign Research Inc., brought the industry into disrepute. “The actions of Campaign Research have likely caused the Canadian public to lose confidence in marketing research and have tarnished the image of the marketing research profession,” says a ruling by three-member panel of the Market Research and Intelligence Association.^[15] The calls were not of concern to the association, but the ongoing strategic use of Campaign Research's Gold Seal membership in the MRIA brought the action by the group. The MRIA welcomed Campaign Research to still continue their membership in the association. ^[16]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Campaign Research