Keeping a cap on contributions: Deadline come and gone for politicians to reveal who contributed to their campaigns
While not a lot of money is funneled into municipal election campaigns, there are still rules on campaign donations. There are limits on individual donations and total donations, including donations from developers.
"Developers are very interested in municipal councils,” said Municipal Affairs Expert and Western Professor Emeritus Andrew Sancton. “Municipal councils are making important decisions that effect their work."
The limit on donations to individual candidates is $1,200. Only $5,000 total can be given to all candidates running for city council.
Candidates had until 2 p.m. Friday to declare their donations.
Even before all filings were posted on the city website, it was clear York Developments President Ali Soufan had surpassed the $5,000 total, giving $7,400 to seven candidates.
Sancton believes it is likely just an oversight, and told CTV News London, "The likelihood of being caught is very high and, as I say, mistakes happen and it could well be that that's what happened in this case."
Former London council member Sandy Levin agrees. He said while there are always concerns that someone can exert undo influence on a council, or individual council members, he doesn't see campaign donations as an issue.
"I don't think any member of any council that their decisions hinge on campaign donations,” he said.
Levin said most campaigns simply don't rely heavily on such donations.
“You don't need them. I mean, when I ran I didn't take them from the industry. I was asked by one, and said ‘No’. Another wrote me a check and I sent it back,” he said.
Sancton said the challenge with the total contributions is that an overage can only be identified after all the filings are in.
In a statement to CTV News London, City of London Media Relations Manager Jo Ann Johnston said any instances of over contributions are reported to the Compliance Audit Committee.
The committee will then decide next steps, which could include court proceedings.
CTV News London contacted Ali Soufan for comment but did not received a response.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.