Today, council approved framework for a by-election to replace council seats vacated by Adriane Carr and Christine Boyle. Elections (and by-elections) are a cornerstone of our democratic process of course, but one party has not being playing by the same rules as the rest of us. So political rivals from Greens, COPE, OneCity and TEAM came together to highlight the fact that ABC still have not accurately completed their mandatory Elections BC financial reporting and as a result have benefited from unlawful contributions to their political advantage.
The following is excerpted from our collective media release
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 – United in respect of and adherence to British Columbia’s Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (LECFA), four rival political parties are sharing concerns that Elections BC still has not completed its investigation into financial misconduct from ABC’s campaign in the 2022 municipal election.
The four parties – 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.