Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran after winning re-election in 2018.

(ROB MUNRO / iNFOnews.ca)

Spending limits for candidates in the upcoming Oct. 15 municipal elections have been posted by Elections B.C.

They allow mayoralty candidates in Kelowna to spend $95,665 this year. While that’s still short of what Mayor Colin Basran actually spent leading up to his 2018 re-election, it’s closer to that amount.

In 2018, Basran’s spending limit was $76,781.50. He officially spent $196 less than his limit during the campaign period where such spending had to be itemized.

But he did not declare, until found out by Elections B.C. that, in 2016 and 2017, he raised an additional $31,200 that was spent to “boost social media posts and promote my profile in the community."

READ MORE: Kelowna mayor feels no need to say how he spent $31,000 in pre-campaign contributions

That was allowed because it was raised and spent during the pre-election period where there were no spending limits.

The 2018 election was Basran’s second as mayor. His main opposition came from former Chamber of Commerce president Tom Dyas, who spent $38,316.

READ MORE: Kelowna mayor spent big on 2018 re-election campaign

In 2014, when Basran ran against former Mayor Sharon Shepherd to fill the mayor’s seat vacated by Walter Gray, he also spent close to $76,000, which was before spending limits were imposed.

In all, Basran spent almost $108,000 to get elected in 2018. The higher spending limits this year are still about $12,000 less than that amount.

Basran has not said, yet, if he's going to run for re-election and no other potential candidates have come forward to challenge him.

The race for mayor in Kamloops could be a much more expensive campaign than in 2018 when Mayor Ken Christian spent $17,190.

The Kamloops mayoralty spending limit is $67,296 for this year.

Christian is not running for re-election. Four candidates have so far declared they’re running to fill his shoes: sitting councillors Dieter Dudy and Arjun Singh, former councillor Ray Dhaliwal and business owner Reid Hamer-Jackson.

If they all spend the maximum allowed, that’s $269,184. In 2018, Singh spent $21,580 to run for council while Dudy spent $6,370.

Councillor limits have also been raised, to $34,081 in Kamloops and $48,056 in Kelowna. Traditionally, those races will draw dozens of candidates who will add greatly to campaign spending.

Spending limits are $10,000 for mayor and $5,000 for councillors in communities with populations of less than 10,000. All others are based on population.

The way it works out, no mayoralty candidate anywhere else in the Thompson and Okanagan regions can spend as much as council candidates in Kelowna and Kamloops.

Vernon mayoralty candidates can only spend $33,850, which is $231 less than a Kamloops councillor candidate.

West Kelowna mayor hopefuls are limited to $29,953 while their counterparts in Penticton can only spend $28,804.

For a list of spending limits in all B.C. municipalities, go to the Elections B.C. website, here.

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