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Some signs cross new rules

Some candidates in the upcoming civic election are running afoul of the new rules. At the end of May, the provincial government established new legislation governing municipal campaigns.
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Election signs along Queensway.

Some candidates in the upcoming civic election are running afoul of the new rules.

At the end of May, the provincial government established new legislation governing municipal campaigns.

The Local Elections Campaign Financing Act built on nearly three dozen recommendations from a task force struck in 2010 to study local government elections reform.

New to this election season is a requirement for all election advertising (signs, posters, Internet advertising, brochures and pamphlets) to include sponsorship information.

The new act also provides a role for Elections BC to enforce the rules set out in the new act.

School District 57 board of trustees candidate Brenda Hooker has already become acquainted with the provincial elections office. She was contacted this week by Elections BC and informed her campaign signs were not in compliance with the new rules.

While Hooker said she knew about the need to name a financial agent, she didn't think about it in terms of her signs, which are being reused from the 2011 campaign.

"I guess I was also under the misunderstanding that since I'm not being sponsored by anybody and I'm my own financial agent that it wasn't necessary to really put that information on the signs," Hooker said. "But it is. It's very important, according to the new rules."

Hooker said she was told by Elections BC that she could write the necessary information on her signs or place a sticker with the relevant information (name of financial agent and contact information) on them.

Even those who had the necessary information weren't completely out of the woods.

Fellow SD57 candidate Tim Bennett was also contacted by Elections BC about his financial agent information attached to his social media accounts.

"I had to modify the wording," said Bennett, who had to make it clear that messages posted to his Twitter and Facebook accounts were coming from him directly.

While at first glance it may not appear that all candidates are in compliance with the advertising rules, many (but not all) of the signs that have become fixtures around the city are in line with the regulations, even if it's nearly impossible to see the required information from the road.

Details about the new rules were sent out to all candidates as soon as Elections BC received their nomination paperwork from their respective chief electoral officers, said Elections BC spokesperson Don Main.

"This is something at a provincial level that's been done for years but it's new at the local government level to have to put this sponsor statement on it," said Main. "So people who have contacted us saying something doesn't have a statement on them, we'll contact the person and let them know. There's examples and whatever it is they can put on there has to be legible."

"Ultimately it was my own fault," said Hooker of her oversight, who will be heading out to add the information to her signs.

Those who are not in compliance by election day face pretty stiff penalties, said Bennett.

That includes being disqualified from an election and the following one.

"You don't want to be disqualified for an honest oversight," Bennett said.