City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan has been fined $450 by Elections BC for accepting a prohibited donation during her 2022 campaign.
The regulatory body issued the administrative penalty and released the findings of its investigation on Aug. 20.
At issue were two donations Buchanan received from Mahmood Saii, one for $1,250 on Jan. 28, 2022 and another for $1,200 on Oct. 9, 2022, both of which were itemized in Buchanan’s campaign finance disclosure documents. Under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, candidates may not receive more than $1,250 from an individual donor in a single year.
Elections BC staff contacted Buchanan about the donation in May 2023, according to the timeline set out in the notice of enforcement, at which time Buchanan said she would return the second donation.
The matter was still flagged for Elections BC investigators. Buchanan confirmed to them that the donation had been returned in July 2023.
Under the Act, a candidate who accepts a prohibited contribution may be subject to a penalty of up to two times the amount of the donation - $2,400 in this case.
Adam Barnes, director of investigations for Elections BC, noted that accepting a prohibited contribution “gives a candidate an advantage in that the candidate did not need to seek a contribution of that amount from an eligible source, saving the candidate time during a busy campaign.”
Barnes, however, acknowledged that Buchanan co-operated with the investigation quickly and brought herself back into compliance with the Act by returning $1,200 to Saii. She also has not been the subject of any previous Elections BC administrative penalties, the report notes.
Reached for comment, Buchanan provided a statement.
“My campaign received an overcontribution from a donor. Upon being notified, I returned the overcontribution and collaborated fully with Elections BC in ensuring compliance with the Act,” she said. “Despite recognition of this compliance by Elections BC, the Act requires that a fine be paid in the instance of overcontribution. That an Act mandates fines for compliance with the law is an issue for the Attorney General to address.”
Saii is a developer associated with Anna Development and Avesta Apartments, although it appears neither company had any projects come before council in the last term of council.
Buchanan was not the only candidate fined by Elections BC in that race. Her sole competitor Guy Heywood faced an administrative penalty of $800 after the regulator found a $3,304 loan he made to his own campaign was prohibited contribution. In that case, Barnes included the same comment about prohibited contributions giving candidates an “advantage.”
Buchanon won the mayoralty with 57 per cent of the popular vote – 5,275 votes to Heywood’s 3,923. In that race, Buchanan outspent Heywood $101,000 to $17,384, according to their initial campaign finance disclosures.
The next municipal election is set for Oct. 17, 2026.
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