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Election 2018: Third-party sponsors emerge

As the local government election campaign entered the home stretch, third-party sponsors have come forward in Gibsons and Sechelt.
election

As the local government election campaign entered the home stretch, third-party sponsors have come forward in Gibsons and Sechelt.

In Gibsons a third party, registered to Joann Hetherington, and listing among its sponsors outgoing mayor Wayne Rowe and outgoing councillor Charlene SanJenko, has advertised in support of a group of candidates.

In Sechelt, Uwe Mummenhof, who funded a third-party campaign called Vote for Change to the tune of $10,500 in 2014, has registered again with Elections BC. In the run-up to the campaign, Mummenhof was involved in a group called Sechelt Votes with Tom Clelland, another of the people behind Vote for Change.

Developer Doug Spani has also registered to advertise as a third-party sponsor in Sechelt. Spani’s ad did not name candidates, but urged voters to choose those “with a clear vision to grow our community.”

New rules on election spending put a cap of $750 on so-called directed advertising – ads that name or endorse candidates – by third parties in the period from Sept. 22 to Oct. 20. Third parties can spend considerably more, up to $150,000, if their advertising is issue advertising, which Elections BC defines as “communication respecting an issue of public policy, including an assent voting issue, and not specifically related to any candidate or elector organization.”