The provincial minister responsible for making changes to civic election rules says spending limits for campaigns will be in place for the 2014 vote.
But Ida Chong, the minister of community, sport and development, said she couldn't say how much candidates in Vancouver and the rest of the province can spend until a formula is finalized. "We'll take a look and see what is reasonable," Chong told the Courier.
Chong's comments come as Vancouver's three main civic parties filed their financial disclosure statements for the 2011 race at city hall last week. The documents indicate the amounts raised, spent and provide a list of contributors to campaigns. Vision Vancouver spent $2.2 million, the NPA shelled out $2.5 million and COPE, which ran a coordinated campaign with Vision, spent $360,969. The spending by the three parties is almost $2 million more than was poured into the 2008 campaign. That amount, however, is a calculation of what each of the parties' central campaigns collected.
The totals don't include money directed at individual campaigns-NPA mayoral candidate Suzanne Anton, for example, spent $70,924-or money raised by organizations such as the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers' Association, which spent $100,869 to support COPE and Vision.
Two years ago, a task force on electoral reform led by the provincial government recommended a possible formula where candidates could spend one dollar for every resident.
That would mean a candidate in Vancouver could still spend more than $600,000 on a campaign whereas a candidate in Zeballos on Vancouver Island could max out at $161.
Chong said a "per capita" formula likely won't be adopted by government because it favours candidates in bigger cities. Setting rules for one city such as Vancouver is also not in the cards, she added.
"The task force was pretty clear that you start doing that, then electors from one area to another-and organizations that are spending money-will get confused as to what the rules are in every area," she said.
For several years, Vancouver city council has sent letters to the provincial government demanding legislation be drafted to impose electoral reforms such as spending limits and banning union, corporate and foreign donations.
Chong said she received a letter in February from city council but has written back saying modifications will not be made to recommendations made in 2010 by the Local Government Elections Task Force.
The task force made 31 recommendations, including spending limits. But the task force did not set a limit on the amount of money that can be raised, or call for a ban on union, corporate or foreign donations.
Chong said if Vancouver's political parties want spending limits and other electoral reforms, they are free to voluntarily agree among themselves to abide by their wishes.
Though the suggestion seems moot with the 2011 election over, parties continue to raise money between elections to pay off debts and support the work of the party.
"They can take responsibility," she said. "If they believe strongly that there should not be acceptance of corporate donations or union donations-if they be-lieve strongly in that-then they should not accept them. And they can say phooey on the party that does."
Vision received the bulk of its money from unions and corporations while the NPA collected money largely from development companies, including almost $1 million from Macdonald Development Corp., whose owner Robert Macdonald was the NPA's chief fundraiser.
Vision, which dominates council, won the 2011 vote in a landslide, electing or re-electing every person who ran on its slate. The NPA elected a total of seven candidates to council, school board and park board. COPE re-elected school trustee Allan Wong.
Chong didn't know when legislation would be introduced in the Legislature to impose spending limits but promised it would be in place for 2014, when elections will be held in October instead of November.
Twitter: @Howellings
