Election campaigning – the do’s and don’ts
British Columbia, in case you missed it, is now in the midst of a provincial election. Between now and May 14th, candidates from the various political parties and organizations will be canvassing for your support and the support of our patients, clients and residents. While every British Columbian who meets the requirements of the Elections Act is entitled to vote, Vancouver Coastal Health (like all health authorities) has some guidelines and criteria around election campaigning within our facilities. This ensures we balance the well-being of our patients and clients while placing reasonable limits on campaigning and other activities.
1) Candidates are not permitted to campaign directly to patients or staff in VCH facilities, with the possible exception of residential care sites (see point #3, below) or other approved sites. The general rule is that media events, photo-ops and interviews with candidates do not take place within our buildings, although they can take place in public areas outside our facilities (i.e. sidewalks or public parks) as long as site access is not restricted.
2) Election campaign materials are not permitted to be posted or distributed in our facilities. However, political materials may be placed on union and non-VCH notice boards as long as they meet the posting criteria for such information points.
3) Campaigning in residential care facilities (sites where people reside on a long-term basis) may be permitted at the invitation and with approval from the resident’s council of that site. In such cases, all candidates in that riding would be invited to speak to residents. Requests for candidate access should be referred to the site manager who will then provide a link to the Resident Council representative.
VCH encourages everyone to exercise their right to vote on May 14. However, these guidelines are in place to protect the privacy, confidentiality and well-being of our patients, clients and residents and to ensure equity during the political campaign. We will provide information on the voting process and ID requirements in a future VCH News.
If you have any questions around political campaigning in VCH facilities, please contact Clive Camm at clive.camm@vch.ca.