Dear Editor:
As 2017 draws to a close, and 2018 is close at hand, I look back and am thankful for a lot that’s happened this past year. We have a new provincial government in place in Victoria, we are finally seeing real progress on a new secondary school for New West, and we finally have campaign finance and contribution limits, provincially and municipally in British Columbia.
And with 2018 being an election year municipally in New Westminster, it should be very, very interesting to see how things shape up. We have another political “slate” in New Westminster, the New Westminster Progressive Electors coalition, lining up to take a run at the entrenched so-called “labour endorsed slate” and one “independent” on school board, Mary Lalji. I’m wondering, just from what side of the spectrum does this “coalition” come from, but I think more will be revealed as the election draws near.
Under legislation tabled in October of this year in Victoria, unions, labour councils, developers and businesses, will all be banned from donating to municipal campaigns, either monetarily or directly with “in-kind” donations. There will be a $1,200 cap on individual donations to municipal candidates, as well as caps on how much can be spent on campaigns by candidates. As someone who has long thought that civic election campaigns were over influenced by special interest groups on both sides of the spectrum, these changes have been a long time in coming. Comparing campaign disclosures from the 2013 election to the ones in 2018 should make for some interesting reading. I’m looking forward to what should be an interesting time in New West civic politics in 2018.
Merry Christmas and a happy 2018.
Dave Lundy, New Westminster
