[Update 5 pm, 22-Mar-2012 with searchable PDF files] Time for a health checkup on the state of our democracy. Once the dust settles and analysts have had a chance to analyze, we are likely to confirm that again in 2011, Vancouver had the most expensive civic election in Canada (money spent per voter). March 19 was the deadline for campaign financing disclosures, and most of the numbers are now in. Here is a revised pie chart showing the summary for expenditures by elector organization (party).
[This version: 8 pm, March19, 2012] As the March 19 deadline approached for disclosure of political campaign contributions for the civic election on November 19, 2011, media coverage picked up. Anyone can download the the campaign financial disclosure statements from this official web page . Continue reading
Readers will find this a useful resource. Suggestions, comments, and links are welcome. More will be added as time goes by.
https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/special-topics/campaign-contributions/
Today is a learning experience for our civic society. For citizens who are interested, here is a link to a Vancouver Sun database on civic election contributions, and a citizen’s analysis (click here) of campaign contributions from the development industry. And here is a database showing (article) that the group with absolute power (8 of 11 votes) has in the past two years voted as one bloc, without exception, against the prevailing views expressed by local communities on 28 critical issues. After hearing the Council discussions today and seeing the votes of individuals on Council, Vancouver will have more to ponder. CityHallWatch encourages citizens to encourage candidates and elector organizations in the next election to refrain from taking political donations from the development industry.
CityHallWatch: Tools to engage in Vancouver city decisions 