Matteus Clement has been banned from running in the next municipal election in B.C. in 2022.
A letter from Elections BC to the Cowichan Valley Regional District said Clement, who was the director for Electoral Area C (Cobble Hill) from 2014 to 2018, is disqualified from running in the next election due to non-payment of fees.
He will be permitted to run in local elections after that.
RELATED STORY: MATTEUS CLEMENT RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION TO COBBLE HILL AREA DIRECTOR
Under the provisions of the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, each candidate in the 2018 local government election, in which Clement ran unsuccessfully for re-election in Cobble Hill, was required to file a campaign financing disclosure statement by Jan. 18, 2019.
After that date, a candidate could file a late campaign financing disclosure statement by Feb. 19, 2019, provided the candidate paid a late filing fee of $500.
“Elections BC advises that Clement filed his disclosure statement, however, he did not pay the $500 late filing fee by the late filing deadline,” according to the letter to the CVRD.
Section 61 of the Act required the CVRD’s corporate secretary, Joe Barry, to prepare a report explaining the notice of disqualification, and the report was presented at an open meeting of the board on April 10.
Clement couldn’t be reached for comment.
In municipal elections last October, Clement came third in the race for Cobble Hill with 239 votes, limiting his time as director to one term, while Mike Wilson topped the polls with 803 and Darlene Davis took 305.
Clement made the news last May after he broke through a door at the CVRD office in Duncan while forcing his way into a restricted area.
RELATED STORY: COBBLE HILL DIRECTOR BREAKS DOWN DOOR AT CVRD OFFICE
Clement said in a statement at the time that he went to the CVRD office after hours to collect a projector and other materials to facilitate a community meeting, but he found the door locked to the area where staff had left it for him.
He said that with an hour left before his meeting, and in his urgency, he shoved the door which broke.
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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