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Fassbender apologized Wednesday in an interview.

“I own this, I should never have done it,” he said. “It’s a mistake and it will never happen again, I can assure you. I know the difference. It was just one of those mornings where there was a screw-up with everyone coming to my constituency office.”

Fassbender said he did one set of photos with part of the group in his MLA constituency office that Saturday morning — which is normal procedure for an MLA announcing local money — and then another group asked him for a photo later and he was already at his campaign office.

“They came and I took a picture, and I said whatever you do don’t have any B.C. Liberal stuff in the background because it’s not a campaign thing,” said Fassbender. “I should never have allowed them to take a picture there.”

The optics of using government money for partisan purposes is heightened because Surrey is a key battleground in the May 9 election campaign. Fassbender’s riding of Surrey-Fleetwood is expected to be a tight race, with shifting boundaries giving a potential advantage to NDP candidate Jagrup Brar, who is also the riding’s former MLA. Brar and Fassbender have been campaigning since September.

Sandy Jhand, president of the Surrey Newton Rotary Club, said the money is for two local projects being done in partnership with the City of Surrey to improve the heating and ventilation systems, as well as provide a covered space, for seniors at two Surrey parks. The money will go to the city, which will do the work, said Jhand.