A third complaint dated June 25 has been filed with the city regarding candidate election finances.
The St. Albert Gazette filed an additional access of information request to view any further complaints that had been filed in mid-July and received a response from the City of St. Albert dated Aug. 12.
The complaint mirrors two complaints filed in April, redacted copies of which were released to the Gazette in June.
Like one of the previous complaints, the letter is marked “confidential” and “submitted without prejudice.”
Several paragraphs appear to have been copied from the other complaint filed in April, with tweaks to suit the new information being entered by this complainant, whose name and contact information are blacked out but had “St. Albert Taxpayer” printed under where the signature would normally appear.
The copy received by the Gazette from the city blacked out the number of candidates complained about as well as their names, but the use of plurals indicates at least two candidates are the subjects of the complaints, and the use of the word “neither” suggests two.
The letter suggests the complained-about disclosures and candidates should be treated as one entity and they did not disclose contributions such as a common telephone bank, door knockers paid to act as volunteers and suggests the commercial value of in-kind goods and services to be about $61,000.
The letter points to an alleged discrepancy between the candidates’ disclosures of financial contributions who had “equal benefits” from the same source.
Since receiving complaints, the city’s chief legislative officer Chris Belke, who also served as the returning officer in the municipal election, has put out a letter noting the city will no longer communicate with candidates over complaints filed about their financial disclosures and suggesting those looking to pursue complaints further consider consulting legal counsel.
In an interview with a spokesman for Municipal Affairs in June, the Gazette was advised that the provincial government wouldn’t serve as an enforcement arm either, and anyone wishing to pursue complaints about candidate financial disclosures would have to make application to the courts.
