Owner of Toronto dog candidate just broke the law for a campaign video

There are many quirky characters among the 102 names running in the Toronto mayoral by-election later this month, but perhaps none of the fringe candidates have received more airplay than Molly, the canine candidate.

Molly does not actually appear on the ballot, and the rescue dog is instead registered under her human companion's name, Toby Heaps. But it was Heaps, and not Molly, who was front and centre in the duo's latest campaign video, one that is gaining views for all the wrong reasons.

Heaps shared the video to social media on Monday morning, one where the candidate openly breaks the law to prove a point.

The video's intro, where Heaps tries to illustrate gridlock by rollerblading along a traffic-clogged Gardiner Expressway, is being called out by social media users as a dangerous and illegal stunt.

Who should be the next #TorontoMayor?
I am the #underdog candidate with a track record for making big things happen. I have a fair and fully funded plan for real change on affordable housing, climate, and infrastructure.
Watch my video to see a different approach. Let’s get our… pic.twitter.com/YZingllq0l

— Toby Heaps (@tobyheaps) June 12, 2023

In Heaps' piece of highway performance art, the sort-of-candidate rollerblades on the narrow shoulder between a slow-moving Gardiner Expressway and its Spadina exit, saying, "This shouldn't be safe, but the traffic is stuck."

His suggestion that the stunt is safe has been shot down by social media commenters as not-at-all safe, and, in fact, very stupid.

Another candidate that thinks they’re above the law!

— theirishking (@theirishking) June 12, 2023

"Mayoral candidate willing to rollerblade down the Gardiner Expressway to get your vote," tweeted Toronto Star reporter Ben Spurr.

"Maybe don't rollerblade on the highway if you want to be taken seriously?," reads another comment.

This is insane

— tim smitheman (@tsmitheman) June 12, 2023

Another Twitter user just straight-up tagged the Toronto Police Service, publicly reporting the illegal stunt.

You should be charged

— Mark Candler (@MarkCandler) June 12, 2023

Others poked fun at the candidate standing in for a dog, with one quote tweet saying, "I think I've actually been surprised by Toby's campaigning, and it doesn't help that my initial image of the guy was, 'Goofy Air Bud Rules Mayor.'"

A similar stunt, albeit one not done for votes, unfolded on a highway in Hamilton earlier this spring, with the perpetrator eventually caught by police.