A candidate in the 2022 municipal elections running for a director’s spot on the Strathcona Regional District has received a monetary penalty from Elections BC.
Brenda Leigh, who was running for re-election as Electoral Area D Director for the Strathcona Regional District, received a $150 penalty from Elections BC on Feb. 1 for “sponsoring election advertising without an authorization statement.”
Elections BC received a complaint on Sept. 28 about a pamphlet promoting Leigh’s campaign. According to a letter sent to Leigh and published on the Elections BC website, the complainant alleged the ads did not have a complete authorization statement. According to the complainant, the ads were missing a B.C. phone number, address or email address for Leigh’s financial agent.
Elections BC’s compliance team contacted Leigh and she amended later advertisements. However, under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (LECFA) a penalty of up to $5,000 was required.
In the letter, Director of Investigations Adam Barnes noted Leigh’s cooperation, but wrote that she “indicated that (she) had previously participated in nine local elections as a candidate. While (she) noted this as a mitigating factor, given (her) past electoral experience I find that (she) should have had an understanding of the election advertising rules.”
RELATED: RESULTS: Strathcona Regional District electoral area directors
marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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