Ellen Woodsworth

March 30, 2010

Last week Vancouver Council approved a motion on Campaign Finance and Electoral Reform and will submit to the Local Government Elections Task Force :

A. THAT Council endorse the recommendations of the Sub-Committee of Council to the Local Government Elections Task Force, as contained in the Administrative Report entitled “Submission to Local Government Elections Task Force” dated March 12, 2010, and summarized below.

1.      Set limits on the annual amount of contributions that can be given by an individual to an elector organization, campaign organizer, or an individual seeking elected office.

2.      Ban union and corporate donations.

3.      Limit the amount of money that may be spent annually by an elector organization, campaign organizer, or an individual seeking elected office during a general local election campaign.

4.      These limits on contributions and expenditures would be based upon a per-elector/capita, per-candidate formula (with individual candidate resources allowed to be pooled for use by elector organizations) and would be no higher than provincial and federal spending limits.

5.      Disallow contributions to an elector organization, campaign organizer, or an individual seeking elected office, from sources outside of Canada.

6.      Require that all donations and expenses for candidates, elected officials and elector organizations be disclosed on a continuous basis at six month intervals.

7.      Implement a system of tax credits for municipal donations, similar to those for provincial and federal elections.

8.      Change the definition of “candidate” to include anyone seeking nomination within an elector organization for candidacy to a local government office.

9.      Appoint the Provincial Chief Election Officer to oversee municipal elections in BC, and establish penalties and mechanisms for enforcement of offences under the amended local government elections legislation.

10.     Extend municipal terms of office to four years.

11.     Oppose allowing corporations the right to vote in local elections.

12.     Provide local governments with the authority to use any method of elections they wish to use, and repeal the requirement for Lieutenant Governor in Council approval to adopt such a change.

13.     Amend the definition of election offenses and related penalties to include individuals acting as an intermediary in third-party campaign contribution schemes.

B.      THAT the Report and Recommendations clearly reflect the importance of an electoral reform to this Council.
C.      THAT the Report to the Task Force reflects that Council unanimously approved the recommendations except for Item 4 where there were two dissenting votes.

FIller

On March 18, 2010, Ellen was among many of Vancouver’s accomplished and successful women who participated in the All About Girlfriends Cosmopolitan fundraiser to benefit the Minerva Foundation. The foundation creates and funds programs aimed at inspiring and empowering women and girls throughout the province. Ellen is seen here with  Eleanor Guerrero Campbell, Executive Director of the Minerva Foundation. For more information on the fundraiser and photos from the event, see Sheryl Yen’s blog at B.C. Business online.

The results of a motion on campaign finance and electoral reform are coming to council next week, with recommendations to the BC Local Governments Election Task Force.

The report includes the following recommendations submitted by the City and developed by a cross-party committee initiated by Councillor Woodsworth:

• To set limits on the annual amount of contributions that can be given by an individual or organization to an elector organization, campaign organizer, or an individual seeking elected office.
• That the City of Vancouver be provided with the legislative authority to adopt an alternate voting process.
• That the City recommends against bringing any form of corporate vote to Vancouver or in the Province.

The full report is available at www.vancouver.ca

Councillor Woodsworth, whose previous motion was sent to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM), also attended the Local Government Elections Task Force UBCM Member Consultation with Co Chairs Harry Nyce, President of UBCM, and the Honorable Bill Bennett, MLA, last week.

More than one hundred mayors and councillors participated in a discussion that included election cycles, corporate vote, campaign financing such as contribution limits, expense limits, public financing, third party advertising and disclosure, local election enforcement, the role of elections BC and employee and volunteer eligibility for office. Woodsworth said she is “particularly concerned that the Province is considering giving corporations the vote. There was unanimous agreement at the consultation that corporations should not have a vote. As far as I am concerned, voting is for people.”

The submission will come to Council next Tuesday, March 23, 2010 and will be bumped to a Thursday, March 25, 2010 committee meeting for input from the public.

Please email mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca to speak to these issues.

Councillor Ellen Woodsworth and Mayor Gregor Robertson at the official opening of the Dunsmuir Viaduct Bike Lanes on March 10, 2010

BLAH BLAH

Councillor Ellen Woodsworth and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson led a pack of cyclists at the official opening of the new bike lanes on the Dunsmuir Viaduct. Created during the viaduct’s closure for the 2010 Winter Games, the bike lanes are now an extension of the Adanac/Union bike route that runs from Burnaby into Strathcona and Chinatown. Vancouver city engineers will run a six-month trial to monitor the number of cyclists using the viaduct before reporting to council on the success or failure of the lane.