Occupy Vancouver
Issues Challenge
to Municipal Elections Candidates
Regarding Campaign Contributions

Occupy Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish Territory,
November 13, 2011 –
http://www.occupyvancouver.com/index.php?page=5

Occupy Vancouver has send letters to all municipal candidates challenging them to immediately reveal the sources and amounts of all campaign donations greater than $100, including any money collected outside the elections cycle by 11:59pm Thursday, November 17, or face the music on Election Day.

Occupy Vancouver's General Assembly
condemns the influence of corporate money
on Vancouver's elections and municipal decision-making.

“Corporations are effectively buying elections," says Eric Hamilton-Smith, a protester and organizer at Occupy Vancouver, "As a result of this influence, elected officials tend to create policies that benefit their financiers’ interests rather than the interests of the people who elect them into office. This is particularly problematic here in Vancouver, where big developers have contributed to an affordable housing crisis.”
According to Tristan Markle, author for The Mainlander and Occupy Vancouver organizer, “The big developers need prices to stay high in order to ensure maximum profits. To protect these donors, the NPA and Vision will go to great lengths to maintain the unaffordable status quo.”
According to data from the Vancouver Sun, the lion's share of campaign contributions received by both the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) and Vision Vancouver come from big developers. In 2008, approximately two-thirds of campaign money raised by Vision Vancouver was from corporations, including half a million from developers. The NPA also raised half a million from developers that same year.
At the November 13th 2011 General Assembly, Occupiers agreed by consensus to the following two proposals:
1. Removal of the influence of corporate contributions from municipal elections so that citizens—not corporations—are put at the forefront in municipal decision-making.
In order to achieve this, Occupiers suggest the following reforms: • Establish limits on the amount of money candidates can spend while campaigning • Establish limits on the amount of money any one person can donate to a candidate or political party • Prohibit corporations and other entities from donating money to election campaigns • Prohibit donations from non-BC residents
2. Establishment of real transparency in municipal campaign finance by requiring candidates and parties to reveal their donors and amounts before, not long after an election is over as is current practice. Occupy Vancouver is giving all candidates until 11:59pm Thursday, November 17th to make their campaign contributions publicly available online or be held to account by voters on

NPA, Vision and COPE
Have Failed
to Disclose
Campaign Contribution Sources -
'Occupy the Parties!'
Occupy Vancouver Says NPA, Vision and COPE Have Failed to Disclose Campaign Contribution Sources; Will ‘Occupy on the Parties’ at 4:00pm Friday Nov 18. Occupy Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish Territory, Vancouver, November 17, 2011 — On Sunday, November 13th, Occupy Vancouver issued a challenge to municipal candidates to disclose the source of all contributions greater than $100 by 11:59pm Thursday, November 17, or be held to account by voters on Election Day. The deadline has now past and Occupy Vancouver has received full disclosure of campaign contributions from many candidates and parties including Mayoral candidate Randy Helton and his party—Neighborhoods for Sustainable Vancouver (NSV), Adriane Carr from the Green Party, and from nearly every independent candidate including Mayoral candidates Gerry McGuire and Darryl Zimmerman, city council candidates Dr. Chris Shaw, Lauren Gill, Grant Fraser, Ian Gregson, Michael Dharni, and Amy Fox. Parties and candidates who have failed to provide the information requested by Occupy Vancouver include Vision Vancouver, Non-Partisan Association (NPA), and the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE). Occupy Vancouver's General Assembly condemns the influence of corporate money on Vancouver's elections and municipal decision-making, which motivates elected officials to create policies that benefit their financiers’ interests rather than the interests of the people who elect them. The Assembly calls on all municipal elections candidates to support the immediate elimination of corporate contributions and the establishment of transparency in municipal elections. The Assembly also calls on the provincial government to immediately establish legislation to limit campaign contributions, and to ensure real transparency in municipal campaign finance by requiring candidates and parties to reveal their donors and contribution amounts before elections, instead of months after elections, as is the current practice. On Friday November 18th at 4:00pm, Occupy Vancouver will march to call attention to parties and candidates who failed to comply with the request for financial disclosure, and to voice the condemnation of corporate money in municipal elections and decision-making. ### If you would like more information or would like to schedule an interview, please contact:

Cmmunications Committee,
Occupy Vancouver
communications@occupyvancouver.com