Financial disclosures published Aug. 15 show that BC Liberal Party candidates in South Surrey spent the most on the 2017 election compared to their counterparts.
Surrey-Panorama BC Liberal candidate Puneet Sandhar led the pack, spending $171,542 to lose the May 9 election to NDP MLA Jinny Sims, who tallied $100,521 in expenses.
The biggest discrepancy between the two candidates was Sandhar’s $55,462 bill on media advertising, compared to Sims’ $2,210. Sandhar also spent $67,153 on newsletters and promotional material, while Sims’ spent $29,003.
Sandhar’s bill was paid in full by the BC Liberal Party. Sims fundraised nearly $13,000 of her expenses, with the BC NDP picking up the rest.
Sandhar’s bill was nearly doubled by a party colleague in a more northern part of the city. Surrey’s biggest-spending candidate was former BC Liberal cabinet minister Peter Fassbender, who dropped more than $317,000 to lose his Surrey-Fleetwood seat to BC NDP Jagrup Brar. Brar spent about $96,000.
Surrey South BC Liberal MLA Stephanie Cadieux spent $68,037 to secure the newly created seat, while her opponent, NDP candidate John Silviera, spent $19,690.
Cadieux – who’s bill was fully covered by the BC Liberal Party – spent $13,200 on media advertising and $19,128 on newsletters and promotional material.
Surrey-White Rock BC Liberal MLA Tracy Redies spent $76,215 to win the election. Her nearest opponent, New Democrat Niovi Patsicakis, spent $23,858.
Redies spent $15,244 on promotional material and $12,350 on media advertising, her two largest expenses. Patsicakis spent $120 on media advertising and $7,504 on promotional material.
Redies’ campaign was funded almost entirely by the BC Liberal Party. Patsicakis raised $1,459 and chipped in $727.70 out of her own pocket for her campaign; the rest of her bill was paid for by the NDP.
Surrey-Cloverdale BC Liberal MLA Marvin Hunt spent 15 times as much as the riding’s next highest spender. According to the disclosures, Hunt spent $84,308 to NDP candidate Rebecca Smith’s $4,860. Hunt spent $11,612 on media advertising while Smith spent $588. Hunt spent nearly $16,000 for promotional material and Smith claimed just under $1,300.
