VANCOUVER POLITICAL PARTIES UNITED IN DEMANDING ELECTIONS BC DISCIPLINE FOR KEN SIM PARTY’S CAMPAIGN FINANCE IRREGULARITIES
Pending an April by-election, COPE, TEAM, OneCity, and the Greens collectively call on BC’s election watchdog for accountability while Sim’s ABC party remains under investigation for potentially breaching campaign finance rules in the 2022 election
Vancouver, BC, January 21, 2025 – The Green Party of Vancouver, OneCity Vancouver, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, and the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) – wrote to Elections BC late in 2024 with concerns that the election watchdog has yet to take the necessary and reasonable steps of holding political parties accountable to the standard required by the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (LECFA).
In January 2024, it was publicly reported that ABC Vancouver had repaid $116,000 of prohibited contributions to its donors in the 2022 municipal election campaign. On April 11, 2024, Elections BC stated that it was investigating ABC for possible contraventions during the 2022 election campaign. To date, no further action against ABC has been publicly announced, and no administrative or monetary penalties related to the 2022 civic election have been posted on the Elections BC website.
In view of the upcoming Vancouver municipal by-election, the four opposition parties believe it is incumbent on Elections BC to complete its investigation and apply any penalties, disqualification, or deregistration it deems is warranted, recognizing the substantial advantages that ABC had over other parties in that election by having the use of thousands of dollars in contributions during the campaign that it later refunded to supporters – more than a year later – the benefits of which may have significantly affected the voting outcome.
The four opposition parties all strictly observed BC’s campaign finance rules during the 2022 municipal election, and expect Sim’s ABC to be held to the same standard.
Today, Council approved a by-election for two new Vancouver City Councillors to take place on April 5.
"Fair and democratic elections rely on transparency and accountability. Yet, two years after the general election, ABC has issued multiple amended disclosures and remains under investigation for campaign finance irregularities. Vancouverites deserve assurance that rules and regulations are applied fairly and promptly to all individuals seeking their vote and the responsibility of holding political office," said Pete Fry, elected City Councillor with the Green Party of Vancouver.
“Elections BC’s Financial Reports and Political Contributions System seems designed to impede research into prohibited contributions because once a donation has been refunded, it no longer appears in a search. If we had not exported data before ABC’s December 2023 ‘refund day’ it would have been extraordinarily difficult to name names and amounts. TEAM advised Elections BC of this shortcoming ten months ago,” said Theodore Abbott of TEAM.
"Without further delay, Elections BC needs to complete its investigation of ABC for potential campaign finance violations related to the 2022 election. The integrity of our electoral system relies on accountability and equitable application of the law. With a by-election on the horizon, we expect Elections BC to ensure that no party is allowed to play fast and loose with elections rules, and that voters are made aware of what ABC has done,” said Cara Ng, OneCity Co-chair.
“We do not want to establish a system that breaking the law is allowed as long as your billionaire donors can afford to foot the bill for the monetary penalties. ABC is the richest party in Vancouver, with an average donation size of more than $1000 per person. Fees that would devastate a grassroots party are a slap on the wrist to them. It’s essential that penalties are applied in a fair way to maintain faith in the election finance system.“ said Shawn Vulliez, COPE Co-chair
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