By Canadian Press

Elections BC bans Mark Marissen and municipal party over financing breach

Jul 4, 2023 | 1:04 PM

VANCOUVER — Elections BC has banned longtime political organizer Mark Marissen from running in local elections for three years after it deregistered his Progress Vancouver party for breaking campaign finance rules.

A news release from the elections body says the party and six of its eight candidates in last year’s municipal vote failed to meet the filing deadline for finance reports in January this year. 

Elections BC says they filed a month later to meet a late filing deadline, but their reports didn’t meet legislated requirements, and all eight candidates are now barred until after the 2026 elections.

The agency says the party’s campaign finance report also disclosed violations, including an improper $50,000 loan and prohibited donations.

Elections BC says it told the party in March that its filings were deficient, but Progress Vancouver failed to correct them, and an investigation of its finances has now been opened.

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Marissen, who is the ex-husband of former premier Christy Clark, led the party and ran for mayor in Vancouver but finished a distant fourth with 3.4 per cent of the vote, while none of Progress Vancouver’s other candidates were elected.

Neither Marissen nor a party spokesperson immediately responded to requests for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2023.

The Canadian Press