You may have forgotten or, like me, be wondering: Whatever happened about the allegations of “potential spending irregularities” against Mark Sager in the 2022 West Vancouver municipal campaign?
Indeed, ever since ElectionsBC brought the matter forward in November 2023, you could ask: When are we going to learn more – for that matter, learn anything – about these supposed irregularities?
The investigation and deliberation on the case have certainly enjoyed a ride – from ElectionsBC, to the RCMP, to the Port Moody Police Department, and many months ago into the realm of the BC Prosecution Service, which appointed special prosecutor John Gordon to assist police independently because of the high-profile nature of the case.
Gordon is no small-fry. He’s represented the Crown against serial killer Robert Pickton, in the case of the gang-murdered Surrey Six, in the brutal killing of Reena Virk by Kelly Ellard, and the case that constitutionally upheld child pornography laws. Against him in that latter case was prominent Vancouver lawyer Richard Peck, who (with Tony Paisana) happens to represent Sager in this election spending issue. Small world.
Let’s not confuse high-profile with high-intensity here.
More than two years have gone by since the campaign, more than a year since the allegations were raised, 10 months since Gordon was enlisted, and we know nothing about the particulars. The mayor is under a cloud. Some in the community would be right to wonder if he ought to be in office. Some would be correctly indignant that the longer this takes, the more his reputation suffers.
When the allegations were made, Sager said he was “beyond shocked.” He called the matter “as grossly unfair as anything I’ve ever seen.”
The mayor inferred the allegations arose from a call he received from ElectionsBC for details about office furniture he bought from funds left over from his 2022 campaign. Sager insists he had already received the go-ahead from ElectionsBC to do so.
He says he is in the dark with the rest of us. The mayor told me this week that no one “has ever contacted me, my financial agent or campaign director.”
I asked BC Prosecution Services what’s up with the case, given how long it’s been since Gordon was appointed to assist in the investigation and to determine if charges needed to be laid.
Gordon Comer, deputy director, policy and issues, wrote back to say “the charge assessment process is ongoing.” The charge assessment process is what it sounds like. It determines whether there is enough evidence for a conviction and whether pursuing the case serves the public interest. I asked for more information and was told that was all I would be told.
The punishment for breaching election spending rules usually involves fines. But it can result in disqualification from office and a ban of up to five years from holding or seeking office. In extraordinary cases, it can mean a jail term of up to two years.
OK, we understand, the wheels of justice can move slowly, but the current situation is unsatisfactory.
Sager has been engulfed in this suspicion for well more than a year. The matter is unhelpful and, truth be told, unfair politically as he looks to prepare before long for the 2026 election. Any prosecution would certainly bleed into his reelection campaign. It might also inhibit others from organizing when they don’t know if he’ll be able to stand for office. This lengthy uncertainty risks eroding public trust in electoral oversight.
It is unhealthy for the community that neither Sager nor the public know anything substantive beyond a simple claim that there exist potential irregularities. Rather than provide clarity, the prolonged investigation has invited speculation.
The community has had to wait too long. The Service and the prosecutor owe it to the public and the mayor to resolve this matter swiftly, whether by proceeding with charges or clearing his name. The current situation serves no one and only fosters concerns about accountability in our politics and fairness in our justice system.
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A reader’s note: I’m taking an indefinite break from this column to work on some projects that could conflict with my writing. Keep reading and supporting the great journalism from the North Shore News team.
Kirk LaPointe is a West Vancouver columnist with an extensive background in journalism.
