Every municipal election, the City of Coquitlam sends an envelope to its residents. This envelope includes flyers for candidates running in the election. Many residents believe this mail-out includes flyers for all of the candidates, but, unfortunately, that’s not the case.

The City of Coquitlam asks candidates whether or not they commit to the mail-out, expecting a response before the end of the nomination period. If you commit to being in the mail-out, you agree to pay an undisclosed amount to the city. For many candidates, this will be the single biggest expense of their campaign. In 2018, the cost to be in the mail-out was $1917/candidate, with printing costs adding another $2000-3000.

When candidates are asked whether or not they will commit to the mail-out, many candidates (particularly those who haven’t run before) won’t have the money required. If they agree, they do so under the assumption they can raise the necessary funds, but if they can’t, they’ll be on the hook for thousands of dollars, with donation limits preventing them from being able to cover the expense out-of-pocket. The city will then pursue payment, as if it’s any other form of outstanding debt, if payment is not made within 30 days. This places candidates in catch-22 – pay and violate election financing rules, or fundraise retroactively, until they have enough money, and face collections in the interim.

Uncertainty regarding whether or not candidates can afford this large expense leads some candidates to decline placing their flyers in the mail-out. This makes it almost impossible to get elected, since many residents are under the impression that all candidates are represented in the mail-out, basing their votes solely on the information contained within, or they think absent candidates don’t care enough about getting elected, and disregard them.

During the 2018 campaign, candidate Paul Lambert brought attention to this issue. Nicola Spurling, another 2018 candidate, spoke to Coquitlam’s Council-in-Committee, after the campaign, encouraging the city to cover the costs. Despite council seeming to recognize the inequities of the mail-out, there didn’t appear to be any appetite to fix the issue.

With affordability being the number one election issue for many people, it’s incredibly important for low-income people to be represented in politics. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen when Coquitlam makes it nearly impossible for low-income people to get elected. If the goal of this mail-out is to provide an unbias service to the people of Coquitlam, it would be wise for the city to fund the mail-out entirely, thereby providing every candidate with equal opportunity for exposure, and ensuring Coquitlam residents are able to make informed decisions about who to vote for. If that isn’t the goal, there doesn’t appear to be a valid reason for the mail-out to exist, aside from helping incumbents, and those with wealthy connections, get elected, which creates a conflict of interest.

– Nicola Spurling –