September 14, 2022
TEAM asks Elections BC to investigate purported Mayor Kennedy Stewart party Forward Together fundraising list alleging to show big donations from major corporate developers, alleged possible involvement of Mayor’s staff
Councillor Colleen Hardwick says voters need to know the truth before election.
TEAM For A Livable Vancouver today asked Elections BC to conduct an investigation into an alleged fundraising list disclosed Wednesday by The Georgia Straight newspaper that purports to show big donations from major corporate developers.
The Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (LECFA) restricts individual donations to $1,250 for City Council and Park Board campaigns and $1,250 for School Board campaigns.
TEAM mayoralty candidate and Councillor Colleen Hardwick said today it is important with the Vancouver election underway that Elections BC ensure voters all campaign financing laws and rules are being followed, and noted that Forward Together was given an opportunity to clarify the situation by The Georgia Straight but did not do so.
“Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Forward Together need to directly answer the important questions this alleged fundraising list raises – is this list a Forward Together document or not? If so, what is the meaning of amounts of money in excess of personal donation limits alleged to have been attributed to some of Vancouver’s most prominent major corporate developers? Is this purported list which assigns people with first names and initials similar to staff working in the Mayor’s office to donors real or fake?” Hardwick asked.
TEAM Campaign Manager and city council candidate Bill Tieleman said that with advance polls for the election coming October 1 and the election October 15, it is imperative that an independent investigation take place immediately.
“Vancouver voters need to know the truth about this alleged fundraising list before they cast their ballots – it’s critical that Elections BC find out what has actually happened and clear the air,” Tieleman said.
Tieleman said that TEAM made a decision early in the campaign to not accept any personal donations from major corporate developers, even though they are legal under Elections BC rules, because it did not want the perception to be that an industry regulated by City Council was also financing TEAM’s election campaign.
“There are two major parties that are taking major corporate developer donations – Kennedy Stewart’s Forward Together and Ken Sim’s ABC – and there is a party that is not – TEAM and mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick,” said Tieleman. “We think that is something voters should know about in making their decisions on who to support.”