VICTORIA – Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes introduced legislation today that will support greater transparency and accountability in local government elections.
Oakes has tabled two bills to modernize local election campaign finance rules and introduce further changes to local elections. The new legislation responds to the majority of recommendations made by the joint B.C.-Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Local Government Elections Task Force.
The new Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (LECFA) makes significant reforms to campaign finance rules that, if passed, include:
Requiring candidates to file campaign finance disclosure statements within 90 days, rather than 120, following an election.
Ensuring candidate campaign disclosures are published online.
Ensuring the sponsorship information is published on all election advertisements.
Requiring third-party advertising sponsors to register and disclose their expenditures.
Establishing a new compliance and enforcement role for Elections BC.
The Local Elections Statutes Amendment Act (LESAA) is a companion piece to the campaign finance legislation establishing how election participants will transition to the new campaign finance rules. The act also makes further changes to local elections by:
Extending the terms of office for local elected officials from three to four years.
Moving the general voting day from November to October, beginning in 2018.
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