The real election influencers

Hot mic, hotter theories

ABOVE THE FOLD

First in Observer — ELECTION INFLUENCERS — Political parties weren’t the only ones scrambling to get their ducks in a row as Ontario plunged into a snap election — third-party advertisers are rushing to get in on the influencer game, too.

Skin in the game: Stakeholders like unions, advocacy groups and industry associations have to register and file receipts with Elections Ontario if they want to have their say and put out advertising for voters during the campaign.

This time around, the rules are a little different. Since it’s an early election, only the writ period is regulated — so January 29 to February 27 — instead of the usual 12-months before the writ. That means third parties can only spend $5,028 on political advertising in any given riding, for a total of $125,700 overall.

Blank cheque: Any advertising before writ day isn’t subject to Elections Ontario’s limits. If it were a regular fixed-date election, third parties would be limited to spending $754,200 in the 1…