Regulations banning corporate and union donations in the municipal election campaign has forced many candidates to cut back on spending and be more strategic with how they allot financial resources, according to several campaigns contacted by The Tri-City News.
Neal Nicholson, a former Coquitlam city councillor and financial agent for Adel Gamar's mayoral campaign in Coquitlam, said the rule changes put more emphasis on mobilizing volunteers.
"You need troops more than you need money," Nicholson said, noting that most campaigns are still looking at ways of navigating the new rules. "Everyone is going to be running different campaigns than they did before."
In past election cycles, when there were no restrictions on donations or spending, it was not unheard of for a developer or union to dole out $1,000 or $2,000 campaign contributions to multiple candidates.
But large donations from corporate and labour entities are prohibited this time around and there is also a contribution cap of $1,200, an amount few individual donors are willing to part with, according to Nicholson.
While campaigns must disclose all of their contributions within three months of general voting day, many are reticent to disclose their budgets and spending strategies during the election period.
Still, Nicholson said Gamar's campaign has been conservative when predicting how much it will raise and he is noticing the size of contributions has shrunk considerably.
"In excess of $200 is rare but not unheard of," he said when asked about the average donation size. "There are a few people who have maxed [at $1,200]. After that, we are getting a lot of $50 and $100."
He later added: "We will take $5."
Several other campaigns told The Tri-City News that they have had to spend more time chasing smaller donations, taking up hours that could be spent knocking on doors and speaking with voters.
The popularity of burger and beer fundraisers had another candidate complaining that they were having trouble booking a pub for their own event during the election cycle.
The rule changes also mean candidates are relying more on online platforms to raise funds, with prominent donation buttons on most campaign websites.
Patricia Bryant, the financial agent for Rob Vagramov's mayoral campaign in Port Moody, told The Tri-City News online donations are slower — they met their fundraising goal two days later than expected — but are an important source for contributions to the campaign.
Because each donor must be recorded, there is more paperwork as candidates are relying on a larger pool of contributors giving smaller amounts, she said.
Not that she's complaining.
"People are really good with the small donations and understanding that every little bit helps," she said. "We are getting a lot of small contributions."
• Municipal election day is on Oct. 20.
@gmckennaTC
