Source: http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/LOC/complete/statreg/--%20E%20--/Election%20Act%20%5BRSBC%201996%5D%20c.%20106/00_Act/96106_11.xml
Timestamp: 2016-06-25 08:51:07
Document Index: 758971455

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 11', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'art 5', 'art 6', 'art 7', 'art 8', 'art 9', 'art 10', 'art 11', 'art 12', 'art 13']

Election ActSearch Results | Clear Search | Previous (in doc) | Next (in doc) | Prev Doc | Next DocCopyright (c) Queen's Printer,	Victoria, British Columbia, CanadaLicenseDisclaimerThis Act has "Not in Force" sections. See the	Table of	Legislative Changes.Election Act[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER
Part 11 — Election CommunicationsDivision 1 — GeneralElection advertising228 For the purposes of this Act:
"contribution" means a contribution of money provided to a sponsor of
election advertising, whether given before or after the individual or organization
acts as a sponsor;
"election advertising" means the transmission to the public by any
means, during the campaign period, of an advertising message that promotes or opposes,
directly or indirectly, a registered political party or the election of a candidate,
including an advertising message that takes a position on an issue with which a
registered political party or candidate is associated, but does not include
publication or a radio or television program,
public regardless of whether there was to be an election,
members, employees or shareholders, or
internet, or by telephone or text messaging, of his or her personal political
"value of election advertising" means
the price paid for preparing and conducting the election advertising,
the market value of preparing and conducting the election advertising, if no
price is paid or if the price paid is lower than the market value.
Tenant and strata election advertising228.1 (1) A landlord or person acting on a landlord's behalf must not prohibit a tenant
from displaying election advertising posters on the premises to which the tenant's
tenancy agreement relates.(2) A strata corporation or any agent of a strata corporation must not prohibit
the owner or tenant of a strata unit from displaying election advertising posters on
the premises of his or her unit.(3) Despite subsections (1) and (2), a landlord, a person, a
strata corporation or an agent referred to in that subsection may(a)
set reasonable conditions relating to the size or type of election
advertising posters that may be displayed on the premises, and(b)
prohibit the display of election advertising posters in common areas of the
building in which the premises are found.Sponsorship of election advertising229 (1) For the purposes of this Part, the sponsor of election advertising is
the individual or organization who pays for the election advertising to be
conducted;(b)
if the services of conducting the advertising are provided without charge as
a contribution, the individual or organization to whom the services are provided as
a contribution;(c)
if the individual or organization that is the sponsor within the meaning of
paragraph (a) or (b) is acting on behalf of another individual or
organization, the other individual or organization.(2) Where this Part requires the inclusion of a mailing address or telephone
number at which a sponsor can be contacted,(a)
any mailing address given must be within British Columbia,(b)
any telephone number given must be that of a place within British Columbia,
answering questions from the public that are directed to the address or telephone
number.(3) Where this Part requires a sponsor to be identified, for a numbered
corporation or an unincorporated organization the identification must include
the name of the organization, and(b)
the name of an individual director or, if there are no individual directors,
an individual who is a principal officer or a principal member of the
organization.(4) On request of the chief electoral officer,(a)
an individual identified as a sponsor, or(b)
an individual identified as a director, principal officer or principal
member of an organization identified as a sponsormust file with the chief electoral officer a solemn declaration that the
identified sponsor is in fact the sponsor and that the sponsor has not contravened
this Part.No indirect sponsorship of election advertising230 An individual or organization must not sponsor election advertising with the
property of any other individual or organization or indirectly through any other
individual or organization.Election advertising must identify sponsor231 (1) Subject to subsection (2), an individual or organization must
not sponsor, or publish, broadcast or transmit to the public, any election advertising
unless the advertising(a)
identifies the name of the sponsor or, in the case of a candidate, the name
of the candidate's financial agent or the financial agent of the registered
political party represented by the candidate,(b)
if applicable, indicates that the sponsor is a registered sponsor under this
indicates that it was authorized by the identified sponsor or financial
agent, and(d)
gives a telephone number or mailing address at which the sponsor or
financial agent may be contacted regarding the advertising.(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to any class of election advertising exempted
under section 283.(3) The chief electoral officer, or a person acting on the direction of the chief
electoral officer, may(a)
remove and destroy, without notice to any person, or(b)
require a person to remove or discontinue, and destroy,any election advertising that does not meet the requirements of subsection
(1) and is not exempted under subsection (2).Restriction on rates charged for election advertising232 An individual or organization must not charge a registered political party,
registered constituency association or candidate a rate for election advertising in a
periodical publication or on radio or television that exceeds the lowest rate charged by
the individual or organization for equivalent advertising in the same medium during the
same campaign period.Prohibition against certain election advertising on general voting
day233 (1) An individual or organization must not publish, broadcast or transmit to the
public election advertising in an electoral district on general voting day before the
close of all of the voting stations in the electoral district.(2) An individual or organization must not sponsor or agree to sponsor in an
electoral district election advertising that is or is to be published, broadcasted or
transmitted to the public on general voting day before the close of all of the voting
stations in the electoral district, whether the publication, broadcast or transmission
is within British Columbia or outside British Columbia.(3) Subject to section 234 (2) (a), subsections (1) and (2) do not
apply in respect of any of the following:(a)
a notice of an event that the leader of a registered political party intends
to attend or an invitation to meet or hear the leader of a registered political
party;(b)
a message that was transmitted to the public on the internet before general
voting day and that was not changed before the close of all of the voting stations
in the electoral district;(c)
the distribution on general voting day of pamphlets or the posting of
messages on signs, posters or banners;(d)
a message that was transmitted to the public on the internet for the sole purpose of encouraging voters to vote in the election.Prohibition against transmitting new poll results on general voting
day233.1 (1) In this section, "election opinion survey" means an opinion
survey respecting an election or a matter of public discussion in relation to the
election, including an opinion survey respecting an issue discussed publicly in the
election.(2) An individual or organization must not publish, broadcast or transmit to the
public, in an electoral district on general voting day before the close of all of the
voting stations in the electoral district, the results of an election opinion survey
that have not previously been made available to the public.Restriction on election campaigning near election offices and voting
places234 (1) During a campaign period, an individual or organization must not post, display
or disseminate in or within 100 metres of the building where the office of the
district electoral officer is located(a)
election advertising, or(b)
any material that identifies a candidate, registered political party or
registered constituency association, unless this is done with the authorization of
the district electoral officer.(2) While advance voting or general voting is being conducted at a voting place,
an individual or organization must not do any of the following in or within 100 metres
of the building where the voting is being conducted:(a)
post, display or disseminate(i) election advertising, or(ii) any material that identifies a candidate, registered political party or
the district electoral officer;(b)
canvass or solicit votes or otherwise attempt to influence how a voter
votes;(c)
carry, wear or supply a flag, badge or other thing indicating that the
individual using it is a supporter of a particular candidate or registered political
party;(d)
post, display, disseminate or openly leave a representation of a ballot
marked for a particular candidate or registered political party.(3) If subsection (1) or (2) is being contravened by the posting or display
of materials, the district electoral officer or another election official authorized
by the district electoral officer may enter on the property where the materials are
located and remove or cover or otherwise obscure them from view.(4) While advance voting or general voting is being conducted at a voting place,
an individual or organization must not publish, broadcast or transmit to the public
election advertising by means of a public address system or loudspeaker that is within
hearing distance of the voting place.Repealed235 [Repealed 2002-60-7.]Division 2 — Election Advertising LimitsThird party advertising limits235.1 (1) In respect of a general election, an individual or organization other than a candidate, registered political party or registered constituency association must not sponsor, directly or indirectly, election advertising during the campaign period(a)
such that the total value of that election advertising is greater than(i) $3 000 in relation to a single electoral district, and(ii) $150 000 overall, or(b)
in combination with one or more individuals or organizations, or both, such that the total value of that election advertising is greater than(i) $3 000 in relation to a single electoral district, and(ii) $150 000 overall.(2) In respect of a by-election, an individual or organization other than a candidate, registered political party or registered constituency association must not sponsor, directly or indirectly, election advertising during the campaign period(a)
such that the total value of that election advertising is greater than $3 000, or(b)
in combination with one or more individuals or organizations, or both, such that the total value of that election advertising is greater than $3 000.(3) Section 204 applies to adjust the amounts under this section.Penalties for exceeding third party advertising limit235.2 (1) Unless relief is granted by a court under section 235.3, if a sponsor
exceeds an election advertising limit, the sponsor(a)
is deregistered as a sponsor under Division 3 of this Part and
is not entitled to be reregistered as a sponsor until after the next general
election, and(b)
must pay to the chief electoral officer a penalty of 10 times the amount by
which the value of the election advertising sponsored by the sponsor exceeds the
limit.(2) In the case of a sponsor that is an unincorporated organization, the members
of the organization are jointly and severally liable to pay the penalty under
(1) (b).(3) A penalty referred to in subsection (1) is effective as follows:(a)
if no application under section 235.3 is made in respect of the sponsor,
at the end of the period for making such an application;(b)
if, on the final determination of an application under section
235.3, the court refuses to grant relief from the penalty, at the time
of that determination.Court order for relief from advertising limit235.3 (1) A sponsor may apply to the Supreme Court in accordance with this section for
relief from penalties under section 235.2.(2) An application may be made only within 120 days after general voting day for
the election in relation to which the election advertising limit was
exceeded.(3) The petition commencing an application must be served on the chief electoral
officer within 7 days after it is filed and the chief electoral officer is a party to
the application.(4) On the hearing of an application, the court may(a)
grant relief from a penalty if the court considers that, in relation to the
non-compliance, the sponsor acted in good faith, or(b)
refuse to grant relief.Repealed236–238 [Repealed 2002-60-8.]Division 3 — Registration of SponsorsElection advertising sponsors must be registered239 (1) Subject to subsection (2), an individual or organization who is
not registered under this Division must not sponsor election advertising.(2) A candidate, registered political party or registered constituency association
is not required to be registered as a sponsor if the individual or organization is
required to file an election financing report by which the election advertising is
disclosed as an election expense.(3) An individual or organization who is registered or required to be registered
as a sponsor must be independent of registered political parties, registered
constituency organizations, candidates, agents of candidates and financial agents, and
must not sponsor election advertising on behalf of or together with any of
these.Registration with chief electoral officer240 (1) An individual or organization who wishes to become a registered sponsor must
file an application in accordance with this section with the chief electoral
officer.(2) An application must include the following:(a)
the full name of the applicant and, in the case of an applicant organization
that has a different usual name, this usual name;(b)
the full address of the applicant;(c)
in the case of an applicant organization, the names of the principal
officers of the organization or, if there are no principal officers, of the
principal members of the organization;(d)
an address at which notices and communications under this Act and other
communications will be accepted as served on or otherwise delivered to the
individual or organization;(e)
a telephone number at which the applicant can be contacted;(f)
any other information required by regulation to be included.(3) An application must(a)
be signed, as applicable, by the individual applicant or, in the case of an
applicant organization, by 2 principal officers of the organization or, if there are
no principal officers, by 2 principal members of the organization, and(b)
be accompanied by a solemn declaration of an individual who signed the
application under paragraph (a) that the applicant(i) is not prohibited from being registered by section 247, and(ii) does not intend to sponsor election advertising for any purpose related to
circumventing the provisions of this Act limiting the value of election expenses
that may be incurred by a candidate or registered political party.(4) The chief electoral officer may require applications to be in a specified
form.(5) As soon as practicable after receiving an application, if satisfied that the
requirements of this section are met by an applicant, the chief electoral officer must
register the applicant as a registered sponsor in the register maintained by the chief
electoral officer for this purpose.(6) If there is any change in the information referred to in subsection
(2) for a registered sponsor, the sponsor must file with the chief
electoral officer written notice of the change within 30 days after it
occurs.(7) A notice or other communication that is required or authorized under this Act
to be given to a sponsor is deemed to have been given if it is delivered to the
applicable address filed under this section with the chief electoral
officer.Obligations of registered sponsor241 (1) The identification of a registered sponsor referred to in section 231 must be
a name filed by the sponsor under section 240 with the chief electoral
officer.(2) An individual or organization who is registered or required to be registered
as a sponsor must maintain records of the following information in respect of
contributions received by the sponsor:(a)
in the case of anonymous contributions, the date on which the contributions
were received, the total amount received on each date and, if applicable, the event
at which they were received;(b)
in other cases, the information referred to in section 190 (1) (a) to (e),
with the class of contributor recorded in accordance with section 245
(2).Voluntary deregistration242 (1) A registered sponsor may apply to the chief electoral officer for
deregistration in accordance with this section.(2) As an exception, a sponsor may not apply for deregistration under this section
if the sponsor is subject to deregistration under this Part or has not yet paid a
penalty under this Part.(3) An application for deregistration must be in writing and must be signed, as
by the individual applicant, or(b)
in the case of an applicant organization, by 2 principal officers of the
organization or, if there are no principal officers, by 2 principal members of the
organization.(4) On being satisfied that an application for deregistration is authorized by the
sponsor, the chief electoral officer must deregister the sponsor.(5) As a limit on subsection (4), if during a campaign period a
registered sponsor has sponsored election advertising, the sponsor may not be
deregistered until the election advertising disclosure report for the sponsor has been
filed.Reregistration243 In order to be reregistered, an individual or organization must file any
outstanding reports and pay any outstanding penalties under this Part.Division 4 — Disclosure of Independent Election AdvertisingIndependent sponsors must file disclosure reports244 (1) Subject to subsection (3), if during a campaign period an individual or organization sponsors election
advertising that has a total value of $500 or a higher amount established by
regulation, the sponsor must file with the chief electoral officer an election
advertising disclosure report in accordance with this section and
section 245.(2) An election advertising disclosure report under subsection (1) must be filed
within 90 days after general voting day for the election to which it
relates.(3) A candidate, registered political party or registered constituency association
is not required to file a report under this section if the individual or organization
is required to file an election financing report by which the election advertising is
disclosed as an election expense.(4) A sponsor must file a supplementary report with the chief electoral officer if
any of the information required to be disclosed in an election advertising disclosure
report changes or if the sponsor becomes aware that the report does not accurately and
completely disclose that information.(5) A supplementary report under subsection (4) must be filed
within 30 days after the sponsor becomes aware of the circumstances requiring the
report to be filed.Contents of disclosure report245 (1) An election advertising disclosure report must be in the form prescribed by
regulation and must include the following information:(a)
the value of the election advertising sponsored by the sponsor, reported by
class as required by regulation;(b)
the amount of the contributions accepted by the sponsor during the period
beginning 6 months before the election is called and ending at the end of the
campaign period for the election, reported in accordance with subsections
(2) to (4);(c)
any amount of the sponsor's assets, other than assets received by way of
contribution reported under paragraph (b), that was used to pay for the
election advertising sponsored by the sponsor;(d)
any other information required by regulation to be included.(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) (b), amounts accepted from
contributors must be reported separately for each of the following classes of
contributor:(a)
activity;(d)
other identifiable contributors;(g)
anonymous contributors.(3) If the records of the sponsor indicate that, during the period for which
contributions are required to be reported, a contributor made one or more
contributions of money that, in total, have a value of more than $250 or a higher
amount established by regulation, the report under this section must include the
the full name of the individual;(b)
the class of the contributor as referred to in subsection (2);(c)
if the contributor is a numbered corporation or an unincorporated
organization, the full names and addresses of at least 2 individuals(i) who are directors of the organization, or(ii) if there are no individual directors, who are principal officers or
the value of each contribution and the date on which it was made.(4) For anonymous contributions, the report under this section must include the
dates on which the contributions were received, the amounts received on each date and,
if applicable, the events at which they were received.(5) A report under this section must be accompanied by a signed declaration of the
individual sponsor or, in the case of an organization, by a principal officer of the
organization or, if there are no principal officers, by a principal member of the
organization, as to the accuracy of the report.(6) As a limit on the reporting obligations under this section, the obligations of
a sponsor in relation to contributions accepted before the campaign period to which
the report relates is that reasonable effort must be made to report the information
required under this section.Late filing of reports246 If a sponsor fails to file a report under section 244 with the chief electoral
officer within the time period established by that section or by a court under section
248, on payment to the chief electoral officer of a late filing fee equivalent to the
applicable amount under section 220 (5) (b), the report may be filed within 30
days after the end of the time period under section 244 or before a later date permitted
by a court under section 248.Failure to file reports247 (1) Unless relief is granted by a court on an application under section 248
commenced before the end of the late filing period under section 246, if an election
advertising disclosure report is not filed with the chief electoral officer before the
end of that period, the sponsor(a)
is deregistered as a sponsor under Division 3 of this Part and is not
entitled to be reregistered as a sponsor until after the next general election,
must pay to the chief electoral officer a penalty equivalent to the
applicable amount under section 220 (5) (b) for each day after the last
day on which it may be filed under section 246 up to the date on which it is in fact
filed.(2) In the case of a sponsor that is an unincorporated organization, the members
(1) (b).(3) The penalties referred to in subsection (1) are effective
if no application under section 248 is made in respect of the sponsor, at
the end of the period for making such an application;(b)
if, on the final determination of an application under section 248, the
court refuses to grant relief from the penalty, at the time of that
determination.Court order for relief from filing obligations248 (1) A sponsor subject to section 246 or 247 may apply to the Supreme Court in
accordance with this section for relief from an obligation to file an election
advertising disclosure report or from a penalty in relation to the filing of such a
report.(2) An application may be made only within 120 days after general voting day for
the election in relation to which the report is required or, if the failure is
disclosed in a supplementary report under section 244 (4), within 30
days after the supplementary report is filed.(3) Within 7 days after it is filed, the petition commencing an application must
be served on the chief electoral officer.(4) The applicant and the chief electoral officer are parties to the
application.(5) On the hearing of an application, the court may do the following:(a)
relieve the sponsor from the obligation to file the report, or from
specified obligations in relation to the report, if the court considers that, in
relation to the non-compliance, the sponsor acted in good faith;(b)
grant an extension of the time for filing the report without payment of a
late filing fee under section 246 if(i) the application is commenced before the end of the time for filing without
penalty, and(ii) the court considers that, in relation to the non-compliance, the sponsor
acted in good faith;(c)
grant an extension of the time for filing the report, subject to payment of
the late filing fee under section 246, if the court considers that, in relation to
the non-compliance, the sponsor acted in good faith;(d)
make any order the court considers appropriate to secure compliance with
this Act and the regulations to the extent the court considers reasonable in the
circumstances;(e)
refuse to grant an extension or other relief.Obligation to maintain records249 An individual or organization who is or has been a sponsor of election
advertising must(a)
ensure that the records required for the purposes of this Part are maintained
in British Columbia, and(b)
retain these records for at least 5 years, or a longer period specified by the
chief electoral officer, from the date of filing of a report required under this
Division in relation to those records.Information to be open to the public250 The information filed under this Part with the chief electoral officer since the
general election before the previous general election must be available for public
inspection at the office of the chief electoral officer during its regular office
Contents | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Schedule Copyright (c) Queen's Printer, Victoria, British