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.
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A 'tragedy that can't be measured': North Bay's forever chemical problem is also the rest of Canada's
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Questlove was not happy with Drake and Kendrick Lamar's beef: 'Nobody won the war'
While some may have been excited and/or amused by the diss-track feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, the man many consider to be an elder statesman of hip-hop appears less than enthused about it.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.