And they’re off... council hopefuls hit the hustings
Depending on which start line you prefer, the 2022 civic election campaign has been underway for a while, began last Friday, or is still almost two months distant.
Several people have already declared their intention to run for councils in Kelowna, West Kelowna, and Peachland, before it was even possible for them to collect nomination packages.
That changed on Friday, when the packages became available at Kelowna City Hall and other municipal offices in the Central Okanagan.
Although the packages can be picked up, they cannot be returned to municipal offices until Aug. 30. Anyone intending to run must return the nomination package by Sept. 9, or their name will not appear on the ballots used for voting in the Oct. 15 election.
By another measure, however, the campaign has been underway since the start of last week. Monday was the start of the so-called ‘precampaign period’, during which advertising rules related to the campaign began to apply.
Essentially, that means any political advertising on behalf of a prospective candidate must include information such as who paid for the messaging. However, spending during the ‘pre-campaign period, which runs until Sept. 16, is not subject to any kind of limit.
Spending limits kick on Sept. 17, with candidates for mayor and council restricted to amounts that are derived from a populationbased formula. In Kelowna, mayoral candidates can spend $95,665 and councillor candidates can spend $48,506.
In recent elections, only incumbent mayor Colin Basran has come close to the prescribed spending limit. Spending of between $5,000 and $15,000 is typical for most councillor candidates.
Individual donations to a campaign are capped at $1,250. Donations by businesses and unions are not allowed.
The names of individuals who give $100 or more to a candidate must be included on post-campaign financing disclosures submitted to Elections B.C.