Top third-party advertiser from Calgary's 2021 municipal election plans rerun for 2025
CBC
The third party advertiser (TPA) that spent the most money in Calgary's 2021 municipal election is not planning any major strategic changes for this year's vote.
Calgary's Future was funded by several civic worker unions leading up to the 2021 vote. It collected more than $1.7 million dollars in union donations in the years prior to the last municipal election.
More than $1 million of that war chest was spent on ads before the election year, advocating support for civic services and workers.
The group then spent nearly $506,000 during the election period, which saw it endorse 14 candidates in the 15 council races. Nine of those candidates were ultimately elected to city council.
The director of Calgary's Future, Alex Shevalier, said their strategy is to review and endorse their preferred candidates who are then the focus of campaign-period advertising.
"We always promote the people we think we can work with and the people we think would be best for Calgary," he said.
Although the provincial government has brought in new election financing rules for 2025, Shevalier said his group will once again be endorsing candidates and spending money to promote those people running for city council.
He isn't revealing how much money the TPA has in the bank today nor will he say how much it plans to spend. But he pledged it will follow all existing rules.
Shevalier pointed out that under provincial rules, there is a limit of $5,000 for individual donations that can be accepted after May 1 of an election year.
As well, he said TPAs have a spending limit of 50 cents per Calgarian.
The provincial department of municipal affairs tells CBC News that it considered Calgary's 2024 population to be 1,306,784 so a TPA could theoretically spend up to $653,392 in the election period.
That figure tops what Calgary's Future spent in 2021.
Much of its 2021 spend went toward online ads in support of its endorsed candidates.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek was endorsed by Calgary's Future just days before voters went to the polls.
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