The City of Burnaby has clarified its policies on publishing municipal candidates’ election financial disclosure statements – saying that the Burnaby NOW’s story is incorrect in its reporting of the events of a June 11 council meeting.
The NOW reported on amendments to Burnaby’s Access to Election Filing Documents Bylaw (2013) based on a report listed on the city’s website that was part of an agenda package for the meeting in question. The city says the NOW’s story misinterpreted the amendments to the bylaws that discussed replacing requirements to post "disclosure statements" and "supplementary reports" on the city's website, with "endorsement documents."
The NOW interpreted that the changes meant the candidates’ election financial disclosure statements would be only published online with Elections BC and that Burnaby’s Election Office is no longer required to collect them as per the provincial Local Election Campaign Financing Act (2014).
The city, however, is reiterating that its website will continue to publish candidates’ Statements of Disclosure and is reassuring residents that they will have online access to this information as per Burnaby’s Access to Election Filing Documents Bylaw and the Local Government Act. Statements of Disclosure lay out candidates' assets, property, income and liabilities. This will still be available on the city’s website as part of candidates nomination documents.
Campaign Financing Disclosure Statements give information on candidates' campaigns, including donations, expenditures and overall financial management. The city will not be collecting these disclosure statements because they are collected by Elections B.C., but the city will post a link to the disclosures on the Burnaby election website.
The NOW did contact Mayor Derek Corrigan Saturday to have him explain the bylaw amendments before the original story was published, but he did not correct the NOW reporter on the issue.
What he did say was the city prides itself in being transparent.
“I want to be sure that what we do is absolutely transparent and provides the public with as much information as possible. I think the issue of campaign disclosures, and all of that, is a very important aspect of public information. It’s just a question of how many sources there are in relation to that information and if they can access it.”
