No Quick Look at Financial Statements of Local Election Players
Don’t expect to have an early look at any of the documents that may have been filed ahead of the deadline.
Under new legislation, financial disclosures must be filed within 90 days of the election. That’s 30 days shorter than the previous time limit and it means the deadline to file is 4:30 February 13th., but those disclosures, which detail who contributed what and where the dollars went, will not likely be available to the public until the end of February.
Elections BC is now in charge of the handling of those documents, a responsibility that used to lie with the local government. In the past, the documents were made available for public viewing and media publication, as they came in.
That will not be the case with Elections BC.
Elections BC Communications Manager Don Main says documents will be scanned in preparation of placing the information on the Elections BC website. Once the deadline has passed, the information will be added to the website, a special link will be added to the website, and Elections BC will issue a notice that the information is available. It’s a process Main expects will take about two weeks to complete.
So although some candidates may have long since filed their financial disclosures, it may well be March before the dollar details are revealed.
Comments
I am sure these can be doctored fairly easily….
I can think of at least one way…..
I don’t think it is illegal but it would definitley test the limits…
and if i can think of it in 30 seconds I am sure with 90 days something similar could be thought up….
and no I am not say anyone is crooked or did anything illegal but people can,
so this exercise is at best, a false sense of a warm and fuzzy feeling…
If running in a civic election you should NOT be allowed to accept donations etc from anyone. Should be a $2500 limit and if you spend more.. Your out of the race.. that way they can’t be bought.. We have seen the result of that.
In the previous municipal election it was interesting how one prominent engineering firm supported the Green campaign through donations made in the name of various employees. And it worked! Great result, by the way. Too bad she is gone.
that is just the way I was thinking cutbanks….
legal but shady
cutbanks: “In the previous municipal election it was interesting how one prominent engineering firm supported the Green campaign through donations made in the name of various employees. And it worked!”
It’s not too much different than CUPE sending a mass mailout telling their members and supporters who to vote for. That worked quite well too.
Yes, JB, it is similar. The only difference is folks willingly donating their money, as opposed to one individual donating their money or money from their business in the names of her/his employees with or without their consent.
CUPE said they were backing Hall and were acting like they were speaking for all their members, but I know for a fact some of their members did not support Hall. That’s like Canadian Tire backing a candidate on behalf of all their employees without asking the employee who they favoured. Slimey if you ask me.
cutbanks: “to one individual donating their money or money from their business in the names of her/his employees with or without their consent.”
Without their consent? That’s a pretty serious allegation. I assume you have documented proof.
Huh: “CUPE said they were backing Hall and were acting like they were speaking for all their members, but I know for a fact some of their members did not support Hall.”
Quite a few of them did back Hall. The mailout (and CUPE money) was also hugely beneficial to new councilors Merrick and McConachie.
There is a huge difference between financial support and sending out a mailer.
@P Val; CUPE did both. What was your point?
My point is JB that I control who I vote for, just like everyone else. That’s what I am getting at, send me as many flyers as you want, I vote for who I think will do the best in looking after my terms.
As for donations, I have not belonged to a union for a very long time, but when the union gives a donation they used to get the blessing of the Union, not sure if that is still how they work today..but all the donations don’t get votes,
Votes get people into office. You realize this don’t you?
P Val, whether you like to admit it or not, money does help campaigns. Advertising works. If it didn’t, nobody would do it.
It seems that some people don’t mind when money is given to candidates they like, while they cry ‘vote buying’ when it’s given to candidates they don’t.
“As for donations, I have not belonged to a union for a very long time, but when the union gives a donation they used to get the blessing of the Union, not sure if that is still how they work today..but all the donations don’t get votes.”
The union executive has carte blanche to spend their member’s money any way they see fit. Witness the half million dollar gift from the BCNU to the BCTF. A lot of the membership is still livid over that!
If they are all held to low expense a few things we won’t see… The over abundance of signage at every intersection :-)
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