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There are a number of important regulations regarding campaign financing that all official candidates must follow to meet their legislated obligations. These are described in the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA), in particular Part 5.1 Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure.
The LAEA informs candidates of their responsibilities before, during and after the campaign period. The campaign period for the 2021 Edmonton Election was January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
is a record of expenses incurred and contributions received by a candidate.
All official candidates, including those who withdrew their nomination, are required by Section 147.4(1) of the LAEA to file this disclosure statement with Edmonton Elections by March 1, 2022.
The Edmonton Elections provides helpful guidance to candidates as they complete Form 26: Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement.
Submit Form 26 to Edmonton Elections via:
As per section 147.4 of the LAEA, candidates who do not file Form 26 by the legislated deadline must pay a late filing fee of $500.
Candidates must disclose:
This includes:
A candidate has a surplus when the amount of their total contributions exceeds their total campaign period expenses.
A candidate has a deficit when the amount of their total expenses exceeds their total contributions received.
Candidates must take action to address their surplus within 60 days of filing their campaign disclosure statement.
If the surplus is less than $1,000, candidates can:
If the surplus is more than $1,000, candidates must:
If candidates do not donate the entire surplus, the remaining funds must total less than $1,000.
Candidates who donate all or a portion of their surplus must file an amended disclosure that confirms that their surplus has been addressed. Edmonton Elections recommends that this should be captured as a campaign expense.
Candidates must take action to eliminate their deficit within 60 days of filing their campaign disclosure statement.
Candidates may collect contributions from eligible individuals during this 60 day period, or address their deficit using their own funds (LAEA section 147.52). The contribution limits outlined in section 147.2 of the LAEA remain applicable.
Candidates must file an amended disclosure that confirms their deficit has been eliminated.
As required by section 147.4(1)(g) of the LAEA, all candidates must provide an itemized expense report that sets out the expenses incurred during the campaign.
The LAEA does not specify how the expense report should be formatted.
Candidates who received contributions or incurred expenses of $50,000 or more must file a review engagement with their disclosure statement.
A review engagement is a review of financial records conducted by a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).
Candidates must keep specific bank accounts for their campaign finances:
Campaign bank accounts must:
A contribution is something given to a candidate to support their campaign. This could be money, use of property or a service.
Before the campaign period
Aspiring candidates can collect contributions before the campaign period.
The total of these contributions cannot exceed $5,000 per year.
During the campaign period
Know your contributors
Candidates must make every reasonable effort to advise prospective contributors of the financing regulations described in Part 5.1 of the LAEA.
Contribution receipts
Candidates or their designates are required by the LAEA to:
Issued receipts should include:
Fundraising events
If the fundraising event is a ticketed event, candidates can determine how the contribution amount is calculated in one of two ways:
Determine the difference between the cost of the ticket and the value of the goods or service available to the attendees
Use the method below:
| Cost of ticket | Expense | Contribution/Receipt |
| $50 or less* *not considered a contributor unless contributor requests as such |
50% ($25) | 50% ($25) |
| $50.01 to $100 | Up to $25 | The balance |
| $100.01 or more | Up to 25% | Minimum of 75% |
An expense is a cost incurred by a candidate’s campaign for something that is used to directly promote a candidate. Expenses are paid for by contributions.
The Government of Alberta can set expense limits for election campaigns. No expense limit was set for the 2021 Edmonton Election.
16304 114 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T5M 3R8
| Telephone | 780-496-8008 |
|---|---|
| elections@edmonton.ca | |
| Website | https://www.edmonton.ca/elections |