New Spending Rules This Election

PRINCE GEORGE – The rules around election spending have changed considerably for this election, whether you’re running for Mayor or Council for the City of Prince George, or Director for the Regional District or a trustee for the Regional District. The new formulas are based on population. 
According to Elections BC, someone running for Mayor of the City of Prince George is limited to spending $45,423.80 while someone running for Council is limited to spending $22,988.48.

“The negative piece, if there is any, is that the new candidates who are going to be running for Council or School Board are going to have less money to play with to get their name out,” says Brian Skakun, who believes the new rules will favour incumbents through name-recognition alone. “So I think they’re really going to have to rely on social media.”

The new rules also limit how individuals can contribute to a candidate’s campaign

“No longer will longer will candidates be able to accept donations from corporations, or from labour organizations,” explains Councillor Murry Krause. “All contributions will have to come from individuals.”