Lack of funding disclosure rules for Manitoba school trustee campaigns hurts transparency: expert

While a number of Winnipeg School Division trustee candidates seem to be running similarcampaignsevidenced bytheir websites, Facebook videos and advertisementsit's unclear if there's any co-ordination between thecandidates.

That's because thepeople involved are tight-lipped, and Manitoba doesn't have any laws requiring disclosure about who is financing those campaigns.

At the federal, provincial and municipal levels, theinfluence ofoutside parties is limited by regulations thatrestrict donation amounts and requiretransparency around the support received.

But school board races in Manitoba have no spending rules, and no requirements for trackingdonations or filingaudited financial statements.

Questions about transparency have come up this year ahead of the Oct. 26 election, after someWinnipeg School Divisiontrustee candidates have presented professional-appearing campaignswith similar website templates, well-produced sponsored videos on Facebook feeds, and high-visibility advertisements on recycling bins along streets.

None of them have confirmed any collaboration.

Cameron Hauseman, an assistant professor of educational administration at the University of Manitoba, said he noticed parallels between some websites.

He notes the position they're running for is called "trustee"because "they are literally serving in the public trust."

"So ifthere's an expectation that they're going to engage in certain behaviours regarding transparency and accountability as trustees, it would be awesome if they'd demonstrate those same behaviours in the election race."

No comment from candidates

In an October Twitter post, the groupPeople for Public Education which says its aim is to "protect public education in Manitoba" by advocating for funding alleged"several trustee campaigns in the Winnipeg School Division are being massively funded by one organization."

The post encouraged voters to ask candidates about their funding.

None of the candidates who appearto be running similarcampaigns would answer questions, asked over the course of multiple days, on whether any specificperson or organization is involved in running their campaigns.

When reached by phone last week, two of thosecandidates told CBC News tospend time on more important stories instead. They also said they were getting support from family and friends.

The candidates with the comparable-looking campaigns all have websites with a similartemplate, featuring a donate button that asks visitors, in identical wording, to "donate today" by sending an e-transfer.

In another commonality, threeof the candidates posted an identical Facebook post about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation over a nine-minute span.

The websites also have similar embedded videos, butno design credits.

David Gerhard, head of the University of Manitoba's computer science department, said there are commonalities, but there are enough variations, like using different domain registration companies and video players, that it is possible that separate people are involved.

"Similar? Definitely.Made using the same tools? Very probably," he said in an email.

"Made by the same person? I would say it would be very difficult to prove this, since these tools and techniques are widely known and widely available."

The registrar for the comparablewebsites is redactedon an online domain lookup service, except on one website, where Sputnik Art, a Toronto-based design company, is credited. The company's ownerconfirmed in a phone call his companymade several websites for WSD trustee hopefuls, but wouldn't say who enlisted his help.

There are no directivespreventingelection contendersfrom helping each other, or using the same firmfor a service.

One candidatewhose campaign materials are different from the other candidatesdeclined an interview for this story, but has tweeted about her campaign financing.

Rebecca Chambers, who is running in Winnipeg School Division's Ward 4,said in a series of tweets a philanthropist offered her moneyand mentorship in campaigning. She declined the mentorship, saying she "wanted to retain full control of the scope and direction of the campaign."

She took the financial assistance, but stressed the contribution did not make up the majority of money she's raised for her campaign.

"Every dollar received has been put toward campaign materials, and every message and philosophy and strategy has been directly from me," she wrote on Twitter.

A person connected to the philanthropist said they only make donations to registered charities.

Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Labour Council confirmeditprovides a $500 honorarium forschool trustee contendersit endorses, including nine WSD candidates this year.

The left-of-centre group says it supports candidates whoshare the "values of labour, value public education and will be available to working families and communities."

School board elections need provincial change: expert

Hauseman said the involvement of anorganization in an election race, particularly if the organization is not transparent, raises questions around the criteria for an endorsement andwhat might be expected of the candidatein exchange.

He would like to see the financingrules for candidates running at other levels of governmentexpanded to school division elections.

"It really seems important that we come up with something to increase the level of transparency," Hauseman said.

Any changes require new legislation fromthe provincial government.

The province said it has received no complaints regarding theissue but would not answer a question about whether the Progressive Conservative government feels changes are necessary.

WSD Ward 2 candidate Chris Broughton, who is seeking re-election, worries about the power that people with considerable resources could have on the outcome of a democratic election and beyond.

"To what extent are candidates beholden to thosethat support their campaigns like this? People are looking for transparency andrightfully so, and so the transparency of how campaigns are funded and how decisions are made at school board, I think, are becoming more and more important," he said.

Broughtonhas previouslyreceived the Winnipeg Labour Council's endorsement, but not this year.

He said he appreciates that the organizationis honest about its involvement in election races. The council seeks like-minded individuals, he said,but doesn't ordercompliance oncecandidates areelected.

The Manitoba School Boards Associationisn't advocating for a change to campaign finance rules, but would favour an earlier start to the nomination period for school trustees, so that voters are more aware of educational prioritiesand school boardgovernance structures.

President Alan Campbell said introducing new administrative tasks into trustee elections could discourage people from running for office.

Trustees are typically community members "who are able to seek election with minimal barriers standing in the way of what remains the most grassroots form of non-partisan democracy in Canada," he said in an email.

"We believe this must remain protected at all times."