Maggie Macintosh
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba’s education minister wants to bring in school board campaign fundraising and reporting rules that would hold trustee hopefuls to a higher standard.
Unlike during municipal, provincial and federal elections, contestants in these hyperlocal races do not have to report on their campaign activities or donations of any kind. Bill 39 (The Public Schools Amendment Act (Campaign Financing For School Trustees)) would change that.
It would ban anonymous donations and ones made by anyone who is not a Manitoba resident. The proposed legislation also outlaws companies, unions and other organizations from contributing to a trustee contestant’s bid in any capacity.
Education Minister Tracy Schmidt called the bill “overdue” to align these contests with other levels of government.
“It levels the playing field for candidates,” Schmidt told the Free Press.
“We feel it’s an important step in protecting our democratic process and also, very important in avoiding any foreign interference.”
The legislation was introduced Thursday, but its contents, spanning 10 pages, were distributed on Tuesday.
It caps individual contributions to a campaign at $1,500 and cash donations that exceed $25.
A trustee hopeful could back their own bid with a maximum of $7,500 in personal spending. Loans are off-limits.
Within 30 days after a campaign period, each contestant would need to submit a statement with the name, address and contribution of each donor who has gifted them more than $250.
“The reality is that most school board campaigns are self-funded by candidates so there won’t be a lot of folks who need to do (extensive) reporting after,” said Sandy Nemeth, president of the Manitoba School Boards Association.
Just Elections, an advocacy group led by retired trustees, has been lobbying the government to put formal processes in place to monitor school board race financing, Nemeth noted.
Representatives have been canvassing metro school boards to endorse their calls to action, many of which are addressed in Bill 39.
Last month, Just Elections co-chair Liz Ambrose said it was “high time” to introduce rules, owing to external organizations’ growing attempts to influence school boards in Canada and the United States.
Ambrose and her colleagues have also expressed concerns about the absence of an independent review commission that assesses school board voting boundaries. Incumbent trustees currently monitor ward maps and adjustments.
Nemeth, a veteran trustee in St. Vital, called the group’s intentions to increase accountability “honourable.” At the same time, she noted that voters won’t know who is supporting their candidates until a campaign wraps up, unless reporting takes place in real-time.
Most municipal elections in Manitoba are held on the fourth Wednesday in October every four years.
Bill 39 defines the school board campaign period as beginning on June 30 during an election year and ending on March 31 of the following year.
Election finance statements submitted after that period are expected to contain all contributions and an itemized list of campaign expenses. These documents would later be made public on a school division website.
Per the bill, any surplus campaign funds would be redirected to a candidate’s school division.
Rule-breakers could face a fine of up to $5,000.
Schmidt said her hope is to have rules in place for the next round of school board races in 2026.
maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca
