B.C. Conservative leadership candidate fined for day-late payment of $40K fee

B.C. Conservative MLA Peter Milobar reacts to the budget during a press conference at the legislature in Victoria, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

The campaign of an MLA running for the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party has been fined $7,500 for submitting one of the significant fees required to stay in the race a day late.

Peter Milobar is the only sitting legislator who remains in the running and the party announced the fine in a statement Saturday, indicating a cheque for $40,000 did not reach the party’s office by the April 1 deadline.

“The Peter Milobar campaign’s financial agent sent a photograph of a cheque to party staff on March 29, 2026, indicating the cheque was on its way to the party office by way of regular (unregistered) mail,” the statement said, noting the cheque did not arrive until April 2.

Milobar’s campaign has met all other fee deadlines, and the statement from the party said the campaign volunteer who sent the cheque “appears to have made reasonable efforts to meet the stipulated deadline” and “did not otherwise intentionally violate the rules.”

In total, leadership candidates who remain in the running for the duration are responsible for $115,000 in fees. The next and final fee deadline, on which $60,000 is due, is April 18.

The fine will be deducted from a $20,000 deposit and the campaign has seven days to “replenish” that deposit by paying the fine.

The once-crowded field of candidates vying to replace ousted leader John Rustad has thinned considerably. In addition to Milobar, the remaining five candidates are contractor Warren Hamm, entrepreneur Yuri Fulmer, former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black, commentator Caroline Elliott and former federal MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay.

With a file from The Canadian Press