BC Liberal incumbent Michelle Stilwell outspent her BC NDP opponent 9/1, but it wasn't her highest amount spent in a BC provincial election. (submitted/Stilwell, submitted/Walker)

By Spencer Sterritt

big spend

Parksville-Qualicum incumbent outspends NDP winner 9/1 in 2020 provincial election

Feb 1, 2021 | 6:39 PM

PARKSVILLE — New financial documents show the BC Liberals outspent the winner of the Parksville-Qualicum riding by a substantial margin to earn only 35 per cent of the vote.

Elections BC documents show BC Liberal candidate Michelle Stilwell spent roughly $66,300 in her 2020 campaign to keep her seat. Nearly half was spent on advertising.

The BC NDP winner Adam Walker, in his first run for provincial office, spent $7,300 to win 42 per cent of the vote.

The five other Parksville-Qualicum candidates spent $5,000 or less.

The 2020 provincial election, called as the COVID-19 pandemic resurged throughout B.C., was marked by significantly less spending throughout mid-island ridings.

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Stilwell’s 2020 expenses are far down from the more than $101,000 spent in 2017. It was actually the least she’s spent during her three campaigns since 2013.

The Parksville-Qualicum BC NDP candidate in 2017, Sue Powell, spent 10 times more than Walker with roughly $74,000 in expenses.

In the Nanaimo riding, incumbent BC NDP MLA Sheila Malcolmson outspent her BC Liberal opponent by several thousand dollars with $37,500 in expenses. This is roughly $30,000 more than the BC Greens spent in the riding.

Malcolmson spent roughly one-quarter of what she did in the 2019 by-election, when she moved from federal politics to provincial, filling the wake of BC NDP MLA Leonard Krog who ran for mayor only one year after winning his provincial seat in 2017.

Krog spent approximately $74,000 in his 2017 campaign.

The 2020 financial statements have yet to be audited, which adds expenses and costs in most cases.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt