Investigation Must Be Fair and Equal

Since this story broke this morning, The Langley Record has been very busy checking and re-checking some facts related to this case. Our interest as an Editorial Board of Township taxpayers is to ensure that a fair investigation take place. Late today, as diligent citizens, we presented Langley RCMP Superintendent Janice Armstrong with some materials which we view as very pertient evidence that will aid the RCMP in conducting a full investigation of the facts.

What is an Elector Organization or a Campaign Organizer? Who must register and why? Well, if you care to read the whole legal framework, you can do so by downloading and reading this PDF. We believe the spirit of this law was to prevent a person or group of people from taking public or private monies and using those funds to run or endorse a candidate or candidates, without full disclosure to the public. This could involve an individual, a group or charity or a BC Society.

Earlier this year some members of our Editorial Board received e-mails from a Township candidate that clearly linked this person to a registered BC Society. It was apparent as the messages progressed over the next month that this person was very much controlling what was to be a non-profit society, as well as running for office at the same time. Resources that are believed to be owned or leased by this Society was used at least once during the campaign for this candidate. If this is correct, then under the Act, this candidate, the Board of Directors of the Society, and the Society itself had an obligation to register as Campaign Organizers and as an Elector Organization. We are leaving this in the capable hands of the Langley RCMP to find out if this was done.

Also during our local Langley elections this website appeared and is clearly still linked to a PAYPAL account. When one visits this website even today, it is clear that this individual or group have endorsed candidates and collected donated funds to do so. Are they registered under the legislation as well? Again, we have provided information to the RCMP for them to make enquiries. A WHOIS search of this website's domain registration indicates the person or persons that registered the domain selected a private registry and therefore only the agent used for registration is listed and not the individual.

As well, BCTF signs also appeared in Langley during the civic election and may add another dimension to this RCMP file. What is clear is that ALL potential violations should be investigated for the sake of Township taxpayers and to establish a level playing field. We are confident that the Langley RCMP are competent to investigate these cases and draw rational conclusions for us.

In our humble opinion we find it difficult to believe our two MLA's who have always been people who display nothing short of honesty and integrity could be challenged with this act if indeed they did not pay for the advertising in question. What's more shocking is that the complaintant alleges that a Township councillor has somehow done something wrong by calling voters. In fact, many municiple candidates in Langley had phone banks operating and we fail to see how these lists and phone banks are a violation of any laws.

The Editorial Board of The Langley Record looks forward to the findings of the RCMP and we wish any innocent parties will be vindicated in the process.