Tri-City Conservative candidates in last fall's federal election spent big while losing big.
In the riding of Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam, the Tories' Douglas Horne spent $193,315 — eight times more than victorious Liberal candidate Ron McKinnon, who paid out $22,849 — and three-and-a-half times more than all the candidates combined. Horne collected 18,083 votes to McKinnon's 19,938.
In neighbouring Port Moody-Coquitlam, Conservative candidate Tim Laidler paid out $146,204, outspending the winner — incumbent NDP MP Fin Donnelly — by 35% (Donnelly's campaign spent $108,510). Laidler drew 16,112 votes to Donnelly's 19,706.
Horne, the former Coquitlam-Burke Mountain BC Liberal MLA who gave up his provincial seat to run federally, had an ample campaign war chest from which to draw.
According to financial disclosures filed Feb. 19 and made public by Elections Canada over the past month, Horne took in $218,053 — most of it in transfers from his Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam Tory riding association — to retain the Conservative stronghold left vacant when former MP James Moore decided not to run for re-election.
The statements show the riding association dropped $50,000 into Horne's campaign coffers the same month he resigned his provincial job. Another $50,000 was deposited a month later and $40,000 more three days before the Oct. 19 general election.
It also offered an additional $25,000 on election day to round out its total to $165,000 over the three-month contest (another $19,889 came in via "non-monetary" contributions six weeks after the vote, on Dec. 4).
In his paperwork, Horne shows more than 200 entries for $193,315 worth of expenses including:
• $20,252 to himself in the form of stipends, candidate payments, expense reimbursements, food for volunteers and bus bench advertising;
• $5,000 to his wife, Larissa Horne, for a campaign co-ordinator stipend;
• $10,689 to his campaign manager, David Riley, for expense reimbursement;
• $10,897 to his communications advisor, Mani Deol-Fallon, for stipends, expense reimbursements and food for volunteers;
• $19,307 to Tech Web Direct for postcard advertising;
• $11,539 to RMG for voter polling;
• and $404 to TD Canada Trust for non-sufficient fund fees.
In total, Horne spent 87% of his allowable expenses limit, which was capped for all riding candidates at $221,031 each.
Horne wasn't available for comment before Thursday's print deadline but a spokesperson for Elections Canada said the financial disclosures have yet to go though a compliance audit.
(The Canada Elections Act provides for a partial reimbursement of paid election expenses and paid candidates' personal expenses if the candidate is elected or received at least 10% of the valid votes; personal expenses include travel and living expenses and childcare expenses, among other things).
By comparison, Laidler took no stipend for his campaign work, he told The Tri-City News.
According to his disclosures, which were made public Thursday, Laidler received $130,000 in riding transfers, bringing in a total of $165,769 in contributions (which included $31,874 for an Elections Canada refund and $3,895 in donations).
Of his $212,494 spending cap, Laidler put out 68% in expenses that included:
• $80,060 in advertising;
• $20,815 in wages for, among other people, his campaign manager Katerina Anatasiadis and financial agent William Healy;
• and $18,356 for voter polling.
Laidler also claimed $2,500 worth of travel expenses for himself.
MP Donnelly, on the other hand, brought in $128,979 in contributions — of which $5,000 came from his own pocket — that included $117,000 in transfers from his riding association.
Donnelly spent 51% of his limit on advertising ($45,583), voter polling ($2,378), office ($21,838) and wages ($35,811), of which his campaign manager Tania Jarzebiak received $11,152. "I didn't take a dime from the election," Donnelly told The Tri-City News Thursday.
And the Liberals' Jessie Adcock, who placed second in the same riding, took in $13,749 from the party and $41,001 from the riding association, and spent 21% of the cap, at $46,085.
Her Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam Liberal counterpart, MP McKinnon, had only $25,060 with which to compete and he came under budget, spending $22,849 on advertising, voter polling, office and wages versus Horne's $193,315.
In the end, McKinnon spent 10% of his cap — comparable to NDP candidate Sara Norman's expenses of $25,811 — and even returned $700 in donations after the vote was over.
[email protected]
@jwarrenTC
COQUITLAM-PORT COQUITLAM
• Conservative: Doug Horne
Spent: $193,315
Votes: 18,083
Cost per vote: $10.69
• NDP: Sara Norman
Spent: $25,811
Votes: 15,400
Cost per vote: $1.67
• Liberal: Ron McKinnon
Spent: $22,849
Votes: 19,938
Cost per vote: $1.14
•Green: Brad Nickason
Spent: $4,714
Votes: 2,076
Cost per vote: $2.27
• Libertarian: Lewis Dahlby
Spent: nil
Votes: 1,014
Cost per vote: nil
PORT MOODY-COQUITLAM
• Conservative: Tim Laidler
Spent: $146,204
Votes: 16,112
Cost per vote: $9.07
• NDP: Fin Donnelly
Spent: $108,510
Votes: 19,706
Cost per vote: $5.50
• Liberal: Jessie Adcock
Spent: $46,085
Votes: 16,888
Cost per vote: $2.72
• Greens: Marcus Madsen
Spent: $7,735
Votes: 1,878
Cost per vote: $4.11
• Marxist-Leninist Party: Roland Verrier
Spent: nil
Votes: 83
Cost per vote: nil
