ABC Vancouver outspent nearest challenger by almost 2:1 margin in municipal election
Mayor Ken Sim's A Better City Vancouver party spent nearly twice as much as any other party on last year's municipal elections, according to data released by Elections BC Thursday.
Financial disclosure statements released by the non-partisan office indicate that ABC spent nearly $1.7 million on its city council and mayoral campaigns, along with more than $400,000 on its Vancouver School Board campaign.
Former mayor Kennedy's Stewart's ill-fated "Forward Together" party spent the next-highest amount, at not quite $1.1 million. Forward Together did not run any candidates for the VSB, however, meaning its total was barely more than half of the combined $2.1 million ABC spent.
No other municipal party in Vancouver spent anywhere close to those totals.
The Non-Partisan Association spent the next-highest amount, at just under $640,000 on mayor and council candidates, plus $17,000 on the school board race. None of the NPA's candidates were elected.
In terms of converting expenditures into seats, the Green Party was perhaps the most efficient party, electing two city councillors, two school board trustees and the only non-ABC member of the park board on roughly $162,000 of spending (approximately $45,000 of which was spent on the VSB election).
OneCity Vancouver, which was the only other party to win a seat on council, spent $354,000 on that race, plus another $81,000 on the school board race, where it also won one seat.
Looking at the amount of money each party raised again shows ABC with a decisive advantage.
The party reported more than $1.4 million in total income for its city council and mayoral campaigns, plus $361,000 for its school board campaign.
Forward Together reported $618,000 in total income, less than half of ABC's haul.
Notably, a sizeable portion of ABC's income – roughly $414,000 – is listed as "other income" in the party's filings, rather than campaign contributions from individuals.
A breakdown of the party's "other income" lists the sources of those funds as Ken Sim and council candidates Lisa Dominato, Rebecca Bligh, Sarah Kirby-Yung and Peter Meiszner.
Sim is listed as the source of $275,000, provided in three chunks – $100,000 in August, $150,000 in October and $25,000 in November, after the election.
Dominato is listed as the source of more than $80,000 across three contributions. Bligh provided $25,000 across four installments, and Kirby-Yung and Meiszner provided funding on one occasion each, for just less than $31,000 and nearly $3,000, respectively.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.