Detailed political party fundraising spreadsheet found on Vancouver sidewalk

Running for political office can be an expensive proposition and the race for mayor and council at Vancouver City Hall is no exception.

A detailed financial spreadsheet found on a West Broadway sidewalk this week outlines one political party’s fundraising plans to have deep-pocketed supporters raise money on its behalf.

Among others, it contains the names of some well-known Vancouver developers including Bob Rennie, Ian Gillespie and Francesco Aquilini.

All three men are listed as captains with specific fundraising goals.

According to the spreadsheet, Aquilini has brought the most money to the campaign so far, raising more than $64,000 – which is still short of the goal of $110,000 listed beside his name.

“If this is the way you have to fundraise to support a political campaign in Vancouver that’s something I think people should talk about,” said Stanley Q. Woodvine, who found the spreadsheet and posted photos of it on his Twitter account.

Someone dropped a two-page spreadsheet printout on the south sidewalk of 300 block W Broadway. Appears to be a list of donors and donations. Who knows if it's legit? The donors names are eye-catching! #Vancouver #Vanpoli pic.twitter.com/9i9yQ28FYU

— Stanley Q Woodvine (@sqwabb) September 13, 2022

Although there are no names of candidates or political parties listed anywhere on the document, many of the people named as fundraising captains are also listed as donors in voluntary financial disclosures posted online by Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s Forward Together party.

"Like all campaigns, Forward Together is actively fundraising. We follow all Elections BC rules,” said Mark Hosak, the party’s executive director. “In August, we were the first campaign to publicly disclose our donor list and will do so again before election day."

With so many of the city’s most prominent developers on the list, voters might be wondering what sort of influence this kind of campaign contribution buys.

"The key from my point of view is transparency. I think there should be real-time reporting of donors, the individuals, not only during an election year but also off-election years,” said CTV News political commentator George Affleck, a former Vancouver city councilor.

Elections BC does publish campaign financial information but not until after elections.

Rules bar corporations from making donations to campaigns and cap individual donations at $1250 per candidate.

"As long as there's an individual with $1250 beside their name and they agree it was them that gave the money, then that's compliant,” Affleck said.

Corporations may have been shut out from making contributions, but nothing is stopping their executives from using their networks of deep-pocketed friends and associates to raise money for their preferred party or candidate.