The largest individual donor to Mayor Kennedy Stewart's political organization is...Kennedy Stewart

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      Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart's electoral organization, Forward Together, has released a list of all political donations to support his candidacy since May 10, 2018.

      And lo and behold, it shows that the largest donor has been Stewart himself

      The mayor has kicked in $6,039, which is around the maximum allowed over five years under provincial campaign-finance legislation.

      His wife, Jeanette Ashe, has contributed $4,839 over four years, which is the maximum allowed over four years under provincial campaign-finance legislation.

      She ran for the NDP in the recent Vancouver-Quilchena provincial by-election, losing to B.C. Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon.

      Current and former NDP MPs are also listed as donors to Stewart, a former member of the federal NDP caucus. They include Libby Davies ($1,624), Jasbir Sandhu ($600), Don Davies ($200), and the now-deceased Ian Waddell ($200). Former NDP MLA Shane Simpson is listed as a $103.29 donor; Acting Attorney General Murray Rankin contributed $350; and NDP MLA and former MP Fin Donnelly gave $1,450. 

      None of the nine sitting NDP MLAs in Vancouver is listed as a donor to Stewart's campaigns.

      People with ties to the development industry—such as Concord Pacific's Terry Hui ($2,463), Wall Financial Corporation's Bruno Wall ($3,063), and Polygon Homes cofounder Michael Audain ($2,450)—are among those who've donated to Stewart's campaign. In addition, members of the Aquilini ($13,727.70), Molnar ($13,555.38), Bosa ($10,976), and Rennie ($8,716.70) families show up on the list.

      Former Vancouver police chief Jim Chu—now an Aquilini Investment Group vice president—donated $2,489.18 to Stewart's political organization.

      According to Forward Together, Stewart's campaign has raised $1,134,094.22 from 2,473 "eligible individuals" since 2018. That works out to an average of $175.01 per donation.

      The party has challenged all other mayoral candidates and parties to disclose all of their contributions dating back to the last election.

      “In 2018, all major Vancouver parties followed Kennedy Stewart’s lead by disclosing who was financing their campaigns and Forward Together believes residents deserve the same level of public transparency in this election," said Forward Together executive director Mark Hosak in a news release issued this morning.

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