Kinder Morgan to pull ads before election

Kinder Morgan has had to pull its advertisements for its future Trans Mountain pipeline expansion during the federal election campaign.

The complaint

This came about after Kennedy Stewart – a British Columbian New Democrat who wishes to be re-elected – complained about numerous adverts being printed within local papers.

The reason?

Deeming it an unfair playing field, Stewart wrote to Canada’s Elections Commissioner stating if companies wish to promote a position on an election issue then it is required to register with Elections Canada as a third-party adviser subject to spending limits.

Though a decision has not been made yet, Stewart has been assured that the Deputy Commissioner is looking into it.

Actions taken by Kinder Morgan

A spokeswoman for the Trans Mountain expansion has stated that Elections Canada has not contacted the company. Nevertheless, the company has decided not to run advertising — in any format or community — until after the vote has finished.

However, Stewart believes it is too late for Kinder Morgan to pull its adverts; “the law says that if they’ve spent over US$500 they have to register as a third-party spender, and indeed they have. It sounds like they weren’t aware, but ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.”

Edited from various sources News 1130, Huffington Post, Global News by Stephanie Roker

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/10082015/kinder-morgan-to-pull-ads-before-election/