Definition

1   In this regulation, "Act" means the Election Act.

Additional information to be included in candidate election financing reports

2   For the purposes of section 209 (2) (l) of the Act, an election financing report for a candidate must include the following information:

(a) the name of the political party the candidate represents, if applicable;

(b) the name of the electoral district in which the election was held;

(c) for each fundraising function held by or on behalf of the candidate, details about income not reported as political contributions, including the number of tickets sold and the charge per ticket.

Classes of election expenses incurred by candidate

3   For the purposes of section 209 (3) of the Act, the election expenses incurred by a candidate must be reported according to the following classes:

(a) accounting and audit services;

(b) the following classes of campaign period election advertising:

(i) commercial canvassing in person or by telephone or other means of electronic communication;

(ii) printed newspapers and periodicals;

(iii) promotional materials, including newsletters, brochures, buttons and novelty items;

(iv) radio and podcasts;

(v) new signs;

(vi) reused signs;

(vii) social media;

(viii) television and video;

(ix) online other than social media;

(x) other forms of advertising;

(c) banking and payment processing fees;

(d) conventions, workshops, meetings and social functions other than fundraising functions;

(e) donations and gifts;

(f) excess nomination contestant expenses referred to in section 183 (5) of the Act;

(g) fundraising functions;

(h) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 106/2024, Sch., s. 1 (d).]

(i) interest expense;

(j) net losses arising from fundraising functions;

(k) the nomination deposit for the candidate;

(l) office rent, utilities, insurance and maintenance;

(m) office supplies, including furniture, equipment and stationery;

(n) personal election expenses paid by the candidate;

(o) personal election expenses paid or reimbursed from the account referred to in section 177 (2) (b) of the Act for the candidate;

(p) postage and courier;

(q) professional services;

(r) research and data, including election surveys and polls;

(s) salaries and benefits;

(t)-(u) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 106/2024, Sch., s. 1 (f).]

(v) telecommunications and information technology;

(w) transfers, referred to in section 180 (6) of the Act, made by the candidate;

(x) travel;

(y) other election expenses.

[am. B.C. Reg. 106/2024, Sch., s. 1.]

Additional information to be included in registered political party election financing reports

4   For the purposes of section 210 (2) (h) of the Act, an election financing report for a registered political party must include the following information:

(a) for each fundraising function held by or on behalf of the registered political party, details about income not reported as political contributions, including the number of tickets sold and the charge per ticket;

(b) details about any income received and any expenditures made or incurred by the registered political party in relation to the election, if these are not otherwise disclosed in the report.

Classes of election expenses of registered political party

5   For the purposes of section 210 (3) of the Act, the election expenses of a registered political party must be reported according to the following classes:

(a) accounting and audit services;

(b) the following classes of campaign period election advertising:

(i) canvassing in person or by telephone or other means of electronic communication;

(ii) printed newspapers and periodicals;

(iii) promotional materials, including newsletters, brochures, buttons and novelty items;

(iv) radio and podcasts;

(v) new signs;

(vi) reused signs;

(vii) social media;

(viii) television and video;

(ix) online other than social media;

(x) other forms of advertising;

(c) banking and payment processing fees;

(d) conventions, workshops, meetings and social functions other than fundraising functions;

(e) donations and gifts;

(f) fundraising functions;

(g) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 106/2024, Sch., s. 2 (d).]

(h) interest expense;

(i) net losses arising from fundraising functions;

(j) office rent, utilities, insurance and maintenance;

(k) office supplies, including furniture, equipment and stationery;

(l) postage and courier;

(m) professional services;

(n) research and data, including election surveys and polls;

(o) salaries and benefits;

(p)-(q) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 106/2024, Sch., s. 2 (f).]

(r) telecommunications and information technology;

(s) transfers, referred to in section 180 (6) of the Act, made by the registered political party;

(t) travel;

(u) other election expenses.

[am. B.C. Reg. 106/2024, Sch., s. 2.]

Additional information to be included in registered constituency association election financing reports

6   For the purposes of section 210 (2) (h) of the Act, an election financing report for a registered constituency association must include, for each fundraising function held by or on behalf of the registered constituency association, details about income not reported as political contributions, including the number of tickets sold and the charge per ticket.

Election expenses not to be included for election expenses limit

7   (1) In this section, "security services" means the services of

(a) conducting, supervising or inspecting a guard patrol or watch of property or persons, or

(b) responding to a security alarm.

(2) For the purposes of section 203 (1) (i) of the Act, the following expenses are not to be included as election expenses for the purpose of determining whether an organization or individual has complied with an election expenses limit:

(a) transfers referred to in section 180 (6) of the Act;

(b) the cost of any communications that a candidate representing a registered political party in an election sends exclusively to members of the political party or members of a registered constituency association for the political party;

(c) the cost of any communications that an independent candidate sends exclusively to members of a registered constituency association referred to in section 166 (4) [automatic deregistration of constituency associations] of the Act for the individual;

(d) the portion of transportation costs and costs for food, refreshments and communications equipment for which a political party or candidate is reimbursed by media representatives accompanying election tours;

(e) the cost of security services, if the individuals engaged in providing the services do not, while providing those services,

(i) carry or wear flags, badges or any other thing indicating that the individual promotes or opposes a particular candidate or registered political party, or

(ii) engage in any campaigning, including engaging in discussions of a partisan nature,

(A) to promote or oppose, directly or indirectly, the election of a candidate, or

(B) to promote or oppose, directly or indirectly, a registered political party;

(f) the cost of personal protective equipment or products, including face masks, hand sanitizer, surface disinfectant and air purifiers, so long as the equipment or products are not labelled with a partisan message or image;

(g) the cost of implementing a recommendation respecting a communicable disease made by a medical health officer or the provincial health officer under the Public Health Act;

(h) the following expenses incurred solely for the purpose of removing barriers for persons with disabilities:

(i) the cost of improving physical accessibility;

(ii) the cost of implementing assistive technologies or services used for communication;

(i) the cost of restoring vandalised property.

[am. B.C. Reg. 106/2024, Sch., s. 3.]

Election expenses not to be reimbursed

8   For the purposes of section 215.04 (2) (d) of the Act, the following classes of election expenses must not be reimbursed:

(a) donations and gifts;

(b) expenses incurred exclusively for the day-to-day administration of a registered political party or a registered constituency association;

(c) fundraising activities, including fundraising functions;

(d) intoxicants, including alcohol and cannabis;

(e) salaries and benefits of candidates.