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Whatever its fate, the petition shines light on an issue that has long threatened the integrity of B.C. municipal politics: Lax rules on election campaign financing. When it comes to giving and receiving cash and municipal candidates, British Columbia remains at odds with every other province.

Despite calls for reform, there are no provincially legislated limits on municipal election campaign spending or cash donations in B.C. It’s still the wild west. At the very least, perceptions of wrongdoing can arise — and can hurt.

Neither Mr. Meggs nor Mayor Robertson have done anything wrong, says their lawyer, Bryan Baynham. The accusations in the petition and accompanying affidavits are false, he told the court.

“Allegations of corruption” are “defamatory” and “should never have been filed,” he said. “They have no value whatsoever.”

Mr. Baynham suggested the petition was filed to embarrass his clients and settle old political scores.

The judge rejected material from most of the affidavits, calling certain statements “irrelevant.”

Both sides agree that several weeks before the November 2014 election, in which he sought re-election as a Vision Vancouver councillor, Mr. Meggs attended a meeting of organizers of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1004. He discussed Mr. Robertson’s pledge to avoid outsourcing CUPE jobs, should the Vision Vancouver slate be re-elected.

Mr. Meggs did not know his talk was being taped by a union member. Nor could he have known the tape would soon be passed to a reporter and details published in newspapers and on websites, before the

election, causing a fuss.