No rules for municipal election spending in N.B.

Some municipal election candidates are questioning where the money is coming from to finance certain campaigns.

There are no rules in New Brunswick to govern how candidates raise and spend money, no donation limits and no requirement to disclose donor information.

The Saint John Firefighters Association has been spending a significant amount of money for roadside signs and flyers promoting certain candidates for May 12's municipal election, said association member Terry Graham.

Graham has been distributing flyers door to door and putting up signs showing the firefighters' support of certain candidates.

In a federal election, the association would have exceeded the $3,000 special interesting spending limit for a single local campaign.

But in New Brunswick's municipal elections, none of the election spending is required to be accounted for.

"There are really no guidelines or regulations in place that tell a candidate how much they're allowed to spend during their campaign or how much they're allowed to take in as contributions for their campaign," said Paul Harpelle, spokesman for Elections New Brunswick.

Calls for disclosure

Theresa Debly is running for Saint John council on a $1,000 budget. About $500 has been spent on handouts for the campaign.

It's tough to compete against other candidates spending tens of thousands of dollars, Debly said. The public should know who is supplying the money being spent on municipal campaigns, she said.

"I don't see why you would distinguish provincial and federal from municipal," Debly said. "Why isn't it appropriate at all three levels if it is appropriate at two … because there is big money. There are developers who back candidates. There's all kinds of things happening."

Firefighter association president Chuck Hickey said the firefighters have been criticized for their support on the campaign and some of their signs have been vandalized.

But the association's support of certain candidates is in the open, Hickey said.

"We've chosen to show the public we are supporting them and we're not afraid to say who we think is the right person," he said.