FRIDAY, February 26, 2016
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LOCAL NEWS
McLeod outspent all en route to election win CAM FORTEMS
STAFF REPORTER
cam@kamloopsthisweek.com
Re-elected Conservative MP Cathy McLeod increased her campaign spending last year by about 70 per cent compared to the 2011 federal election, according to information filed by Elections Canada. Candidates are required to file financial statements
after the election. Those statements show McLeod spent $171,000 in the run-up to the October election, one of the longest campaigns in Canadian history. That compares to $96,000 McLeod spent during the 2011 election and $82,000 she spent in her first campaign in 2008. Thompson Rivers University political scientist Derek Cook
said it is part of a trend toward higher election spending. “It had to do with the length of the campaign,” he said. “We’re seeing a trend for more and more money needed and used by politicians to get elected.” Second in campaign spending was New Democrat Bill Sundhu, who spent $159,000 and finished second in the four-way race. Green candidate Matt
Greenwood, who finished fourth, spent just $1,700. Liberal Steve Powrie, who finished third, has yet to file, but it is expected the Grits spent somewhere in the neighbourhood of $70,000. Final results in November’s election had McLeod with 24,595 votes, Sundhu with 21,466 votes, Powrie with 21,215 votes and Greenwood
with 2,489 votes. Under legislation brought in by the former Conservative government, campaign finance rules favour
individual donors who give small amounts. Large donations from corporations and unions are not allowed. The bulk of cam-
paign spending is for advertising. Despite the higher amounts allowed in 2015, candidates spent far below the $271,000 cap.
ADOPTION IN BC Adopting a child can be one of the biggest decisions in life. The Adoption Act governs how adoptions happen in British Columbia. There are several types of adoption possible in British Columbia, including through the Ministry of Children and Family Development, international (or inter-country adoptions), adoption by relatives or step-parents (including adult adoptions), direct placement adoption agencies in which parents choose someone they know as the adoptive parents of their child, Every type of adoption has its own procedures that must be adhered to and unique challenges. Speaking to a lawyer can assist guide you through the process, as well as explain to you how this will effect support obligations, visitation, naming and estate planning.
DAVE EAGLES/KTW
Y? FOR STRONG KIDS
YMCA-YWCA membership director Cathy Cooper hands out special recognition awards with the help of Y Strong Kids ambassadors Paige and brother Makai Cooper (Cathy’s grandchildren) during the Y Strong Kids Challenge’s kickoff breakfast yesterday in the NorKam senior secondary cafeteria.
Memes may have been too mean The plan was to make their concerns known in a light-hearted way, but the meme contest being run by the university faculty union has been cancelled — because posts were becoming too mean. On its Twitter feed yesterday, the Thompson Rivers University Faculty Association (TRUFA) announced it was ending the campaign that was to run to early
March because of some of the postings, all of which have been removed. TRUFA president Tom Friedman told faculty the union’s executive decided the contest should finish early. Friedman said he believes the contest got the attention of administration and had made the point that faculty continues to be
unhappy with its role in governance of the institution and about academic and financial accountability. He said that was a key issue in the recent year-long bargaining process, one faculty feels was ignored. A link at trutalk.ca that connected people to all entries has been taken offline.
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Contact a Fulton & Company family law lawyer to see if adoption is the right option for you.
JOHN GROVER
Family Lawyer Fulton & Company LLP
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