Halifax election finance bill tabled in Nova Scotia Legislature

Those who want to run for Halifax council may face spending and campaign contribution limits in the future, but Mayor Mike Savage says a bylaw instituting such rules may not pass in time for this year's Oct. 15 election.

The Nova Scotia government introduced a bill in the legislature Friday to give Halifax council the right to pass a bylaw setting out who can donate to a municipal campaign, and how much candidates can accept and spend.

Savage was at Province House to signal his support for the bill, but said it was up to the entire council to decide whether limits were needed.

"There's no council direction other than to ask the province to allow us to determine what makes sense," he said. "Now we have to go back and have a conversation with council about that."

In 2015, a CBC News investigation found Halifax lagged behind other Canadian cities when it came to rules surrounding municipal campaign finance.

In Ontario and Quebec, regulations limit how much money candidates can collect and require strict expense reports. Toronto banned donations from companies and trade unions in 2010. 

In Nova Scotia, however, there are no rules dictating who can contribute, how much they can give and how the money is spent.