There was no simple way to know who paid for billboards endorsing Vancouver mayoral candidate Hector Bremner in 2018.Adrienne Tanner is a Vancouver journalist who writes about civic affairs
Among the task force recommendations is to require donations to be reported before – not after – elections and extend the campaign period to just after Labour Day, lengthening the reporting period from four to seven weeks. This would certainly help. Although B.C. civic parties and candidates have traditionally done most fundraising during election years, there have been notable exceptions. Vision Vancouver, which held power in Vancouver for 10 years until 2018, was a well-oiled political machine and raised money non-stop.
Mr. Travis also recommends that donations to elector organizations be prorated to the number of candidates they run, to prevent the Vancouver situation where three parties worked together and were allowed to accept $1,200 each from the same donor versus the Non-Partisan Association, which ran a full slate and was limited to one.