West Vancouver mayor 'stunned' after Elections B.C. announces investigation into campaign spending

West Vancouver's mayor says he's flabbergasted and confused after police were asked to open an investigation into "potential spending irregularities" during his election campaign in 2022.

Elections B.C., the office responsible for administering provincial and local elections in the province, announced on Thursday that it had identified possible irregularities "during a compliance review of Mark Sager's campaign financing disclosure report for the 2022 General Local Elections."

It did not disclose what the regularities were, but said it had referred the matter to police. The Port Moody Police Department confirmed with CBC News that it had been engaged by Elections B.C. to conduct an investigation, but offered no further information.

"I was just stunned. This is all news to me. I was like, 'really?'" Sager told CBC News on Friday.

Sager said he has not heard directly from Elections B.C. over the matter. He said about three months ago he was contacted to provide receipts related to his campaign finances.

He said the investigation is most likely about $10,000 of leftover campaign donations he used after he was elected to refurnish his office, mostly with items bought second hand.

Sager said he called Elections B.C. in November 2022 to ask if he could use the funds this way and was given the green light. He said he also asked his own legal counsel about it as well.

'Just trying to save the taxpayers money'

Sager showed CBC News a chair, couch and other items that he said he purchased, in part, from West Vancouver residents via sites such as Facebook Marketplace.

"I mean, really, I was just trying to save the taxpayers money. I'm not the kind of person who would come in here and say, 'I want this office all refurnished.' That's not me," he said.

"I physically carried all this furniture in here with friends."

Sager, who was previously mayor from 1990 to 1996, said he decided to run again for office in fall 2022 because he wanted to re-enter public life after spending two decades raising his daughter and running a law firm. 

He defeated Mary-Ann Booth, the incumbent mayor at the time and a former councillor, winning 52.8 per cent of the vote.

Elections B.C. has a 92-page guide to election campaign financing that details how to manage funds, including campaign-related expenses.

Sager said often candidates spend extra funds by throwing a party for staff, organizers and supporters.

"Maybe they can complain they don't like my taste in furniture," said Sager about the Elections B.C. investigation.

"If I shouldn't have spent the campaign funds doing this, then I'll just pay it out of my own pocket, but they approved it. I didn't do this without calling them and asking them if this was an appropriate expenditure."

CBC News has contacted Elections B.C. for further comment.