Elections Alberta has closed the book on their five-month investigation of Athabasca County and the constituency of Athabasca-Redwater for possible violations of the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act. No further action will be taken.
In early January, the Edmonton Journal reported allegations that the county had contributed to registered political entities in Alberta, namely the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, in violation of the act. The story reported that Athabasca County might be one of a number of municipalities under investigation by Elections Alberta, following up on questions of unlawful donations. A request by Elections Alberta for further information on the allegations was made to the county on Nov. 21, 2011 and the request was answered on Feb. 22, 2012.
In the story in the Journal, Elections Alberta spokesman Drew Westwater said the department was following up on questions of unlawful donations raised between 2005 and 2011 by the County. More specifically, the allegations pertained to November 2005 when councillors unanimously agreed to send five council members to a PC Association Dinner in Thorhild.
The cost of the tickets for the dinner was well over what the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act allows for donations by municipalities, schools and government bodies. Additionally, council members voted to have administration provide an item for a silent auction to be donated to the fundraiser.
In agreeing to attend the event and donate the item for auction, the County of Athabasca unknowingly violated the act.
Over the course of the investigation, it was noted that the county now has a system of due diligence in place to prevent a recurrence of this type of incident in the future. The system became effective after the November 2005 motion but before the investigation began.
The county policy states that “if the individual charge is $50 or less, it shall not be considered as a contribution unless the person who pays the charge specifically requests that the charge be considered a contribution … (However) if the individual charge is more than $50, $25 shall be allowed for expenses and the balance shall be considered as a contribution to the registered party.”
Any cost covered by the county for councillors who attend functions will only cover the costs of a standard dinner that usually is associated with the fundraisers. If the event charges more than $50, only $25 can be considered a councillor expense. This policy falls in line with the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act.
As of June 5, Elections Canada said they have reviewed the documents received from the County and closed the file.
