Candidates are responsible for understanding and complying with the provincial law governing election finances and contributions. The information on this page provides a brief summary only. For detailed information visit:
Campaign expenses include an expense incurred, or non-monetary contribution received, directly related to the promotion or opposition of a candidate during a campaign period. The Local Authorities Election Act sets out the following as eligible campaign expenses:
- the production of advertising or promotional material,
- the distribution, broadcast, or publication of advertising or promotional material in any media or by any other means during a campaign period, including by the use of a capital asset,
- the payment of remuneration and expenses to or on behalf of a person for the person's services as a chief financial officer or in any other capacity,
- securing a meeting place, or
- the conduct of opinion polls, survey, or research during a campaign period.
Candidates may choose to entirely self-fund their campaigns up to a maximum of $10,000.
After a person files nomination papers in the campaign period, the person officially becomes a candidate and may accept contributions of up to $5,000 from any person who is ordinarily a resident in Alberta. Candidates cannot accept contributions from any corporation or unincorporated organization, nor can they accept any anonymous contributions.
A candidate must open a bank account in their own name or in the name of the campaign as soon as possible after the total amount of contributions exceeds $1,000, including money from the candidate's own funds.
Candidates must issue a receipt for every contribution received. For contributions over $50 candidates must record the name and address of the contributor as well as the amount of the contribution for inclusion in the campaign disclosure statements. "In kind" contributions of property, goods, and services must be valued and receipted, but services provided by a volunteer do not need to be included. Candidates must keep their records of contributions and expenses until March 1, 2024.
All candidates must submit a campaign disclosure statement and financial statement to the municipality on or before March 1 immediately following the general election even if they had no contributions or expenses. The campaign disclosure statement must be filed whether or not the candidate was elected.
All candidates from the 2021 general election filed statements before the deadline. Copies of the statements are posted below. Personal addresses of individuals have been removed to protect their privacy in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. If you wish to review the original statements please contact the municipal clerk at municipal.clerk@canmore.ca.
The Alberta Election Commissioner may investigate any matter that may constitute an offence under Part 5.1 of the Local Authorities Election Act.