Quick election financing roundup

Item — Elections Alberta weighs penalties over bad donations (Calgary Herald):

Alberta's chief electoral officer is now investigating more than 50 cases of alleged illegal donations to political parties - and actively weighing how best to penalize those responsible.

According to Elections Alberta, it has opened 61 files since the issue exploded last fall over accusations that "prohibited corporations" - public institutions such as municipalities and school boards that are barred from making partisan donations - had given money to the ruling Progressive Conservative party or its constituency associations.

Item — Parties may be cashing in (Edmonton Sun):

A sheaf of community council minutes details instances of municipal councils around the province voting to "send" mayors or councillors to golf tournament fundraisers for politicians and MLA dinners.

In some instances, the municipality cut the cheque. In others instances, the attendee would be reimbursed.

Most of the instances in that stack of minutes involved the majority PC party.

Item — Liberals grill PCs after Horizon Health's donation (CBC):

The Liberals are continuing to question how the Progressive Conservative Party accepted a $3,870 political donation from New Brunswick’s largest health authority.

The Tories announced on Monday that the party would return the health authority’s cash. The money paid for a table at a Saint John event billed as "an evening with Premier David Alward.”

The health authority said on Monday that officials didn't realize the money was going to Alward's political party.

Item — Horizon CEO says buying PC tickets 'dumb mistake' (CBC)

The CEO of the Horizon Health Network says he made what he calls a "dumb mistake" when he bought 10 tickets to a New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party fundraising dinner.

...

The PC Party has vowed to be clearer about future fundraisers for the party after the recent incident involving Horizon and returned the money to Horizon last week after CBC first reported on it.

The Tories have also returned another political donation paid by WorkSafeNB, which bought a $500 ticket to the event.