Title
2025 Municipal General Election - Campaign Disclosure Non-Compliance Report
Proposed Motion
That Council accept the 2025 Municipal General Election - Campaign Disclosure Non-Compliance Report for information, as presented.
Body
Administration Recommendation
That Council accept the 2025 Municipal General Election - Campaign Disclosure Non-Compliance Report for information as required by the Local Authorities Election Act.
Purpose
The Local Authorities Election Act ("LAEA") sets out the requirements for election finances and contribution disclosures for candidates in general Elections. Section 147.8(1) of the LAEA states that if a candidate for a municipal election fails to file a Campaign Disclosure Form then administration shall present a report to Council.
Summary
In accordance the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA), a public report must be made to Council regarding candidate campaign disclosure statement non-compliance.
Candidates for the 2025 Election were required to file their campaign disclosure statements on or before March 1, 2026.
The following candidate did not file:
Beverly Muirhead
Background
Requirements
The LAEA sets out the duties for candidates and requirements for campaign disclosure statements. The requirement to file campaign disclosure statements apply to individuals who have given written notice under section 147.22 but does not file a nomination or whose nomination is not accepted under section 28, withdraws as a candidate, is disqualified or becomes ineligible to continue as a candidate, or is not elected.
Pursuant to Section 147.4(1), on or before March 1 of each year, a candidate must file a disclosure statement in respect of the previous year. The disclosure statement must:
(a) be in the prescribed form,
(b) be filed with the secretary of the candidate's local jurisdiction,
(c) include the following information for the applicable period:
(i) the total amount of all contributions received that did not exceed $50 in the aggregate from any single contributor;
(ii) in respect of each contributor that made contributions exceeding $50 in the aggregate, the total amount contributed and the contributor’s name and address;
(iii) the total amount of all contributions received under section 147.2(4);
(iv) the total amount received from fund-raising functions;
(v) the total amount of other revenue received;
(vi) the total amount of campaign expenses incurred;
(vii) an itemized campaign expense report setting out the campaign expenses incurred by the candidate;
(viii) the total amount paid by the candidate from the candidate’s own funds and not reimbursed from the candidate’s campaign account;
(ix) in respect of a disclosure statement under subsection (1), if the previous year was the year in which an election was held,
(A) the total amount of any campaign surplus for the campaign period, including any surplus from previous campaigns, and
(B) the amount of any deficit for the campaign period;
(x) in respect of a disclosure statement under subsection (3),
(A) the total amount of any campaign surplus, including any surplus from previous campaigns, and
(B) the amount of any deficit.
Compliance - Late Filing
Candidates who did not file disclosure statements by March 1 are subject to a late filing fee of $500 payable to the County. If a candidate files their disclosure statement no later than 10 days after the filing deadline, the County shall not transmit a report in relation to that candidate.
Where candidates have not filed disclosure statements Section 148 requires that administration present a report to Council detailing the non-compliance.
Failure to File
Section 147.84 provides the offence that a candidate is guilty of and the fines that a candidate is liable for if they do not comply with filing a campaign disclosure statement.
Public Access to Disclosure Statements
Subsection 147.4(7) of the LAEA requires that disclosure statements be made available to the public. Candidate disclosure statements are available for viewing on Parkland County's Election website. Parkland County does not review candidates' disclosure statements for accuracy or completeness, nor provide any assurances respecting their accuracy, thoroughness or legality.
Courtesy Notice
Parkland County is not required to provide statutory notice of disclosure statement filing deadlines to candidates; however, courtesy notices were provided. In 2025 and 2026 candidates were reminded to review their campaign finance obligations as set out by the LAEA through direct emails and telephone calls provided by Legislative and Legal Services. Information regarding campaign disclosure requirements is posted on Parkland County's Election website.
Attachment 1
2025 General Election: Candidates in Non-Compliance with Disclosure Statement Filing Requirements
Historical Information:
None
Strategic Plan/Policy/Legal/Staff Implications:
Local Authorities Election Act
Financial Impact:
Cost:
Source of Funding:
Other: