Campaign Finances and Disclosure

Campaign Finances

Candidates, or anyone acting on behalf of a candidate, are responsible for ensuring contributions are within the campaign finance rules. You and your official agent (if applicable) are strongly encouraged to review Part 5.1 of the Local Authorities Election Act and Expense Limits Regulation, that outlines all campaign finance rules and seek your own legal advice when needed.

Duties of a candidate

During the campaign period, if you are a nominated candidate, or have submitted a notice of intent to be nominated as a candidate your duties include, but are not limited to:

Opening a campaign account at a financial institution once total contributions exceed $1,000.
Depositing all contributions into the campaign account.

For every contribution, issuing a receipt that includes:

date of contribution;
name of the individual contributor;
address of individual contributor; and
amount contributed.

You must keep records of contributions and campaign expenses for a period of three years following the day of the election to which they relate.

You must file a financial disclosure statement for each year you have accepted contributions and/or incurred expenses.

Campaign Contributions

Who can contribute?

The following can contribute to a candidate:

Alberta residents.
Alberta trade unions or Alberta employee organizations.
Corporations other than a prohibited organization.

You, or your representative, are responsible for informing prospective contributors about the rules for contributing to a municipal election campaign. Contributors are responsible for ensuring that they are eligible and do not exceed their maximum per year.

Who cannot contribute?

The following cannot contribute to a candidate:

a municipality,
a corporation that is controlled by a municipality and meets the test set out in section 1(2) of the Municipal Government Act,
a non-profit organization that has received since the last general election any of the following from the municipality in which the election will be held:

(A) a grant;

(B) real property;

a Provincial corporation as defined in the Financial Administration Act, including a management body within the meaning of the Alberta Housing Act,
a Metis settlement,
a board of trustees under the Education Act,
a public post-secondary institution as defined in the Post-secondary Learning Act,
a corporation that does not carry on business in Alberta,
a registered party as defined in the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act or the Canada Elections Act (Canada), or
an organization designated by the Lieutenant Governor in Council as a prohibited organization.

Contribution Limits

Alberta residents

Maximum amount that an individual can contribute per calendar year of the campaign period:

$5,000 for all council candidates (includes mayor and councillor).

Alberta corporations, trade unions and employee organizations

Maximum amount that a corporation, trade union or employee organization can contribute per campaign period (2024 and 2025 combined):

$5,000 for all council candidates (includes mayor and councillor).

Self-fund

Each candidate can contribute up to $10,000 per campaign period of their own funds to their campaign. The candidate is not reimbursed for these funds.

Anonymous Contributions

Any anonymous contributions and any contribution or portion of a contribution made in contravention of the Local Authorities Election Act that is accepted by a candidate or a person acting on behalf of a candidate must not be used or expended, and the candidate or the person acting on behalf of the candidate must:

return the contribution to the contributor if the contributor’s identity can be established.
if the contributor’s identity cannot be established, pay an amount equivalent to the contribution to a registered charity or to the local jurisdiction for which the candidate is running for the election.

Value of Contributions other than money

The value of advertising contributions, other than money, provided to a candidate is the fair market value of the contribution at the time it was provided.

If any personal property, real property or service or the use of personal property or real property is provided to a candidate for a price that is less than the fair market value at the time it is provided, the amount by which the value exceeds the price is a contribution for the purposes of the Local Authorities Election Act.

Campaign Expenses

What is a campaign expense?

A campaign expense is any expense incurred, or non-monetary contribution received by you that is used to directly promote or oppose a candidate during a campaign period. Examples of campaign expenses include, but are not limited to:

cost of advertising or promotional materials;
the distribution, broadcast or publication of advertising or promotional material in any media or by any other means during a campaign period;
the payment of remuneration and expenses to or on behalf of a person for the persons services as a chief financial officer or in any other capacity (e.g., fees for a chief financial officer);
fees to secure a meeting place;
costs to conduct surveys or research during a campaign period; and
cost of a review engagement.

Expense Limits

Candidates are responsible for determining and adhering to the expense limits for their election campaign as outlined in the Expense Limit Regulation.

Fund-raising functions

A fund-raising function includes any social function held for the purpose of raising funds for your election campaign. The gross income from any fund-raising function must be recorded.

If a fund-raising function is held though the sale of tickets, the following rules around contributions must be followed:

If the individual charge is $50 or less, it is not considered to be a contribution unless the individual who pays the charge specifically requests that it be considered as part of their contribution. If the individual requests this, half of the amount is permitted as expenses and half is considered a contribution. The candidate may still choose to issue a receipt and keep a record of the transaction even if the amount is not considered a contribution.
If the individual charge is more than $50, but less than $100, $25 is permitted for expenses and the balance is to be considered a contribution, and;
If the individual contribution is more than $100, 25% of the amount is permitted for expenses and the balance is considered to be a contribution.

Candidates or a person acting on their behalf must issue a receipt for every contribution they received. For any contributions over $50, the name and address and the amount of the contribution must be recorded as that information is to be included in the campaign disclosure statements.

Loans

A candidate may borrow money only from a financial institution. Only an individual who is a resident in Alberta, a corporation other than a prohibited organization, an Alberta trade union or an Alberta employee organization may make a payment on behalf of the borrower (the candidate) regarding a loan.

The individual must be reimbursed by the borrower (candidate) before the campaign disclosure statement submission deadline, otherwise payments made towards a loan are to be considered an individual contribution to the candidate.

Campaign surpluses and deficits

Surplus

Surplus funds in respect of the year in which a general election was held must be eliminated within 60 days after filing a disclosure statement.

Any amount $1,000 and over must be donated to a registered charity.
Any amount under $1,000 can be retained by the candidate or donated to a charity.

You must file a disclosure statement amendment showing the disposition of funds.

Deficit

Deficits in respect of the year in which a general election was held must be eliminated within 60 days after filing a disclosure statement.

You may:

Accept contributions within the 60-day period. Contributions must not exceed $5,000 from any single individual, corporation, group or union.
Use your own funds to a maximum of $10,000.

You must file a disclosure statement amendment showing the disposition of funds.

Candidate Disclosure

All candidates must submit a campaign disclosure statement with the City of Spruce Grove by March 1, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. This includes any candidate who:

withdraws their nomination,
self-funds their campaign,
runs a campaign with zero expenses or contributions, or both, or
files a notice of intent to be nominated in 2025.

Candidates are responsible for ensuring that their disclosure statements are accurate and submitted on time. Candidates are responsible for late filing fees or administrative penalties from the Election Commissioner of Alberta in the event they are issued.

How to Submit Your Disclosure Statement

The completed Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement (Form 26) can be submitted using one of the following methods:

schedule an appointment with the Returning Officer by emailing at elections@sprucegrove.org or calling 780-962-7634 Ext. 425
by email at elections@sprucegrove.org
by dropping them off in the secure dropbox beside the east doors of City Hall (315 Jespersen Avenue), or
by mail or courier to the City of Spruce Grove (c/o Returning Officer, 315 Jespersen Avenue, Spruce Grove, Alberta T7X 3E8)

Fines and Penalties

A person who files after the deadline or fails to file will face fines and penalties:

$500 late filing fee.
Name included in public non-compliance report to Council.
Eligibility status for future elections or by-elections will be impacted. You will not be eligible for (whichever expires first): eight (8) years if you fail to file; or three (3) years following the day of disclosure statement filing if you file late.

If you are listed in the non-compliance report, you may apply to the court for relief within 60 days of the day the report is made public.

You may be subject to additional penalties by the Alberta Election Commissioner.

Records maintenance

Candidates must keep records of contributions and campaign expenses for three years following Election Day.

Public access to disclosure documents

Candidate campaign disclosure statements will be published on the City’s website. Members of the public may view disclosure statements in person and under supervision at City Hall. Mailing addresses will be blacked out from documents before they are made available to the public.