Dark money on the Danforth

And "where is Stiles's star candidate?"

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HOW A STOREFRONT EXPOSES THE ‘WILD WEST’ OF ELECTION LAWS

A campaign office on Toronto’s Danforth Avenue is drawing scrutiny in political circles — not because it breaks the rules, but because it exposes how much political activity can happen before the rules apply.

At issue is a little-known feature of Ontario’s election law: the period before a nomination contest is officially declared.

NATE ERSKINE-SMITH, the federal MP and provincial leadership hopeful who’s gunning for the May 9 Liberal nomination in the yet-to-be-called Scarborough Southwest byelection, cut the ribbon on his campaign office weeks before he was even green-lit as a contestant.

According to Elections Ontario, that’s A-OK — would-be nomination contestants are allowed to fundraise and spend money for their unofficial campaigns. That activity isn’t regulated by the electoral agency until the party actually calls the contest.

But, and it’s a biggie: While most contestants spend during t…