File photo.
Four B.C. NDP fundraising events last year have resulted in fines to the party for failing to report them within the timeframe allowed in the Election Act.
Two of the party fundraisers happened last October, one in November and another in December, and Elections B.C. announced fines totalling $4,000.
Two of the events were held in Maple Ridge, including a Barbecue at the Big Smoke with Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Bob D’Eith which raised just under $7,000 as 58 people took in the $125 event.
Elections B.C. handed down at $2,000 fine in relation to that event.
The party got a $1,000 fine for an event in Coquitlam Oct. 27 that raised $5,855, where people were charged $100 to attend.
Elections B.C. also fined the party $500 for two other events, one in Maple Ridge that raised $3,820 and another in Kelowna Dec. 3, that brought in $12,678 and charged $125 for admission.
Elections B.C. says the Election Act requires the date, time, location and ticket price of a specified fundraising function to be reported at least a week before the event, and an additional report must be provided within 60 days after.
The initial report was not filed by the deadline in each of the cases.
Elections B.C. says the BC NDP has fully cooperated with its investigation and it does not believe the party deliberately meant to circumvent the Act, rather it was the result of human error.
According to Elections B.C., the NDP has indicated it has taken additional steps to prevent the non-compliance of reporting within the specific time frame from happening again.
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