Halifax prepares to adopt new campaign finance rules

Halifax council is moving forward with rule changes surrounding election campaign finance.

There are currently no rules or limits on who can donate to a municipal candidateor how big a donation can be.

The new system eliminates corporate and union donations. It also caps donations from individualsand how much candidates and their spouses can pay into a campaign.

The campaign finance bill making this possible was in its first reading todayand was amended by committee of the whole. It was due to move forward to council later Tuesday.

Several amendments passed.

Under the amended regulations, campaign spending limits will be $30,000for council candidates and $300,000 for mayoral candidates. That replaces a formula that accounted for the geography and population of different districts.

Individuals can give a total of $5,000 to council candidateswith no more than $1,000 going to a single candidate.Individuals can give a maximum of $2,500 to a candidate for mayorand a candidate can self-finance to a maximum of $15,000, with help from a spouse.

All campaign donations must be collected after March 1 of the campaign yearand 30 days after the October election. The same time limits apply to campaign expenditures.

Candidates who break these rules could face fines of $500 to $10,000or up to six months in jail if a fine goes unpaid.

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