The Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA) president said the organization will adjust if corporate and union civic election campaign donations are banned even though almost all of the half million dollars it collected in 2014 came from those sources.
The provincial NDP government recently announced a bill to end corporate and union donations for provincial elections. The legislation did not, however, include municipal elections although they fall under provincial jurisdiction.
A resolution calling for similar financial handcuffs to be put on municipal campaigns is expected to be discussed at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention in Vancouver this week.
“If you want to change those rules, that’s fine. We’re not opposed to that,” said BCA president Gord Larkin, who has been involved in municipal politics for about 25 years.
Following the 2014 election, the BCA reported it bagged $508,687 in campaign contributions. Corporate donations totalled $275,550 while trade unions donated $202,220, which accounted for 18 times the bucks compared to all other donations combined.
“We followed Elections B.C. rules,” said Larkin. “If there’s change, there’ll be change for everybody, it won’t just be change for us.
“Bring it back to a more simplified process. The political parties can make it on their own, I believe that they can. It’s time, and maybe that makes the playing field a little bit more leveller.”
An important component to Larkin’s rules revision wish list would be the ability to issue tax receipts to donors. He admitted the BCA and all municipal candidates would be hard pressed to raise money if civic elections were subject to the same regulations being proposed in the provincial legislation.
Ray Power has run up against the BCA machine many a time. Power has run for office in Burnaby three times, most recently for council as part of the fledgling Burnaby First slate in 2014, which collected $27,362 in donations ($21,941 from individuals, $2,150 from corporations and none from unions). He has also managed previous campaigns for the now dormant Team Burnaby.
“Corporate and union donations should be banned completely because of the conflict that exists and the benefit that they get from supporting one group,” said Power.
He’s particularly opposed to civic employee unions that donate to candidates who, if they win, become bosses to the union’s membership and sit across the negotiating table from them.
“They really do have an influence over them, be it real or imagined. The perception is just wrong that you can contribute to getting somebody elected whom you’re working for,” said Power. “It’s a workplace influence because either way, one’s beholden to the other.”
In the 2014 election, CUPE Local 23, which represents Burnaby civic employees, donated $94,825 to BCA’s campaign coffers, according to documents filed to Elections B.C. The next largest donation was by CUPE B.C. at $29,925. CUPE 379, which represents Burnaby school district employees, also chipped in $11,125 with CUPE’s paramedics local throwing in another $1,000.
Many construction unions also contributed to BCA for a total union contribution of $202,000. But that was surpassed by corporate donations, which tallied $275,550.
“If I’m contributing to your campaign for mayor or for council and I’m appearing before you to have a permit approved, there’s something wrong with that,” said Power. “The defunding by unions and developers and corporations would get rid of, to a certain extent, that inside track.”
Power thinks it’s possible the BCA could actually come under proposed provincial legislation because under its constitution membership in the provincial NDP is required.
When he was a union member, Power objected to some of his dues going to a party he didn’t necessarily support. He also said it bothered him to get public employee publications with photos showing union-organized phone banks and mailouts advising membership on how to vote.
“That doesn’t even get seen as money they actually contributed,” he said.
Power believes banning union and corporate donations would ensure candidates worked for their money.
“It sure would personalize the campaigns, wouldn’t it? Where you’d have to get out and knock on doors and talk to people, go to malls and shake hands and greet people and tell them what you’re doing, and actually stand for something,” said Power. “People are not going to contribute to you unless they believe in what you’re doing, and that’s exactly why the unions contribute to the NDP. And the contractors are going to do the same thing because they’re going to have their palms greased by doing it.”
Simon Fraser University political science professor David Moscrop told Canadian Press, “There’s no logical reason now or moral justification to not apply it now to the municipal level. It would be ridiculous not to.”
DONATION BOX
Donations made by trade unions and developers to the Burnaby Citizens Association for the 2014 civic election campaign as reported by the BCA to Elections BC:
TRADE UNIONS
CUPE Local 23 Burnaby civic employees ‑ $94,825
CUPE BC ‑ $29,925
CUPE Local 379 Burnaby school district employees ‑ $11,125
CUPE Local 873 ambulance attendants ‑ $1,000
B.C. Government Employees Union ‑ $11,800
Hospital Employees Union ‑ $8,315
COPE (Canadian Officeworkers and Professional Workers) Local 378 ‑ $6,125
IUOE (International Union of Operating Engineers) ‑ $500
IUOE Local 115 ‑ $1,400
Heat and Frost Insulators Local 118 ‑ $3,325
UFCW Local 1518 (United Food and Commercial Workers) ‑ $3,395
United Steelworkers District 3 ‑ $4,525
United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 ‑ $1,500
Burnaby Firefighters ‑ $3,500
B.C. and Yukon Trades Council ‑ $1,200
B.C. Federation of Labour ‑ $200
B.C. Nurses Union ‑ $400
Canadian Labour Congress Pacific Region ‑ $3,500
ILWU Canada (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) – 800
ILWU Local 514 - $2,000
Ironworkers Union ‑ $200
IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local 258 ‑ $200
Teamsters Union Local 31 ‑ $4,500
United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 170 ‑ $2,500
New Westminster and District Labour Council ‑ $100
Developer donations
Thind Properties and Thind Holdings ‑ $21,125
Appia Developments ‑ $15,000
McAllister Developments ‑ $10,000
Adex Enterprises (Concord) ‑ $5,000
Amacon Construction ‑ $9,700
Anthem Properties ‑ $5,000
Blue Sky Properties ‑ $5,000
Boffo Construction and Development ‑ $6.625
Bosa Properties ‑ $5,000
Cressey Development ‑ $5,000
FIRM Development ‑ $500
Intracrop Development ‑ $8,000
Kebet Holdings (Beedie Group) ‑ $5,000
Millennium Gilmore Properties ‑ $2,000
Punia Homes ‑ $7,750
Rennie Marketing Systems ‑ $5,000
RPMG Holdings (Onni) ‑ $5,000
Wall Financial Group ‑ $5,000
Westwood Ridge Development ‑ $2,500
Adera Development ‑ $1,200
Aquilini Development and Construction ‑ $2,500
Embassy Development ‑ $500
Ledingham McAllister ‑ $5,000
Polygon Homes ‑ $5,000
Shape Properties ‑ $5,000
Shato Holdings ‑ $6,000
Salterra Real Estate Services $1,000
South Street Development Managers ‑ $1,000
Total trade union donations - $202,220
Total corporate donations ‑ $275,550
