The District of Sechelt spent thousands of dollars advertising for a yes vote in the March 8 referendum to borrow up to $7.4 million for construction of Sechelt’s new wastewater treatment plant.
The referendum passed with a slim majority (868 in favour and 853 against), and at the time questions were raised about how much the District spent on their “vote yes” campaign.
Coast Reporter asked for the numbers back in March, but the newspaper was told to file a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request in order to see them. That FOI was filed on March 10 when Coast Reporter requested “to find out how much was spent by the District of Sechelt on the campaign to encourage Sechelt residents to vote yes in the March 8, 2014 referendum.”
A response from the District’s FOI public body head Margi Nicholas came this week.
The document shows that the District of Sechelt spent $9,892.10 on newspaper advertising, $234 on a social media campaign, $1,066 on radio ads and $1,203.75 on pamphlets pertaining to the election, for a total of $12,395.85.
The document also notes that some of the newspaper advertising costs “include the statutory advertising consisting of notices of other voting and call for scrutineers.”
