A Kelowna, B.C., pub owner who put a “crass” political statement on customer receipts, denouncing the BC NDP, has been forced to register as a third-party sponsor with Elections BC.
Owner Dave Willoughby has removed the message because he said he’s made his point.
However, he said the move was his last resort after failed attempts to lobby the government to ease restrictions on B.C. pubs, restaurants and bars.
“I think our message has been heard loud and clear, and so we removed the message from our receipts,” Willoughby told the Mike Smyth show on CKNW Thursday morning.
“I understand it’s a bit crass, but, at the same time, sometimes you’ve got to jump up and down and shout to be heard.”
Elections BC says it contacted the pub on Wednesday to inform its owners that the political statement on customer receipts constituted third-party advertising.
“Our first step in cases like this is always education. We contacted the pub … to let them know about the rules, and they have registered as a third-party advertiser,” said spokesperson Andrew Watson.
“As they are now in compliance with the Election Act, this matter is resolved from our perspective.”
Willoughby said he reluctantly registered as a third-party sponsor, as there is no spending threshold for the registration requirement to apply.
“Which is really kind of humorous because they only really talk to people that they think are unfairly promoting one government over another, and I’m really not promoting any one particular party. I’m just saying don’t support the NDP,” he said.
The definition of campaign-period election advertising is quite broad under BC law.
It is defined as “the transmission to the public by any means, during the campaign period, of an advertising message that promotes or opposes, directly or indirectly, a registered political party or the election of a candidate.”
There are exemptions for journalism and broadcasting, personal political views on a non-commercial basis and the distribution and promotion of a book.
If the advertiser spends more than $500 on election advertising, they must file a financial disclosure report after the election, Elections BC said.
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