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BC United being sued by former party candidate Kevin Acton, Mayor of Lumby

Acton suing BC United

The mayor of Lumby is taking the now-defunct BC United party to court.

Kevin Acton is seeking $10,765.39, to cover expenses he paid out of pocket while running for the party last year — plus court fees.

Acton was the BC United candidate in the Vernon-Lumby riding last summer, before the party collapsed and threw its support behind the B.C. Conservatives. When he was not picked to run for the Conservatives, he ran as an independent candidate.

In a notice of claim filed in small claims court, Acton said the party has not reimbursed him, nor has anyone been in contact with him to make arrangements for payment.

“The fact that these expenses have not yet been repaid could put myself and the BC United party in contravention of the B.C. Elections Act," the claim states.

Rumours of BCU being in financial trouble began popping up at the end of summer, not long before the party suspended its campaign. At the time, some speculated BCU would not be able to reimburse its former candidates for their campaign expenses.

When the worries first began, Elections BC said the Elections Act does not require BC United to reimburse candidates. That is left up to individual political parties.

Acton previously told Castanet the party said the money was there and he believed he’d be reimbursed.

In September, Acton said he spent a total of $30,000 on his campaign and was waiting for the last $10,000 to $12,000 to be reimbursed.

Incumbent NDP MLA Harwinder Sandhu defeated B.C. Conservative candidate Dennis Giesbrecht in a close race to win the Vernon-Lumby riding. Acton finished a distant third.

None of the allegations in Acton's claim have been proven in court.



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