Two men linked to the B.C. Liberals who face charges under the Elections Act in connection with the government’s controversial ethnic outreach strategy will not go to trial until August 2016.

Prosecutor David Butcher had previously said he hoped the matter would go to trial in the summer or early fall of this year. But there was no room at Vancouver provincial court for a 14-day trial until the summer of next year.

Former communications staffer and Liberal organizer Brian Bonney and party employee Mark Robertson face charges under the Elections Act involving an alleged failure to disclose a $2,240 campaign contribution to the Liberal party during a byelection in Port Moody-Coquitlam in February 2012.

The money was allegedly used to facilitate the hiring of Sepideh Sarrafpour, the former government caucus employee at the centre of the ethnic outreach scandal, to work on Liberal candidate Dennis Marsden’s campaign.

Marsden lost the race to the NDP’s Joe Trasolini.

tcarman@vancouversun.com

twitter.com/tarajcarman

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