The Gulf Island Film and Television School has declared itself the "unofficial" media centre for the Green Party of Canada and plans to roll out a series of videos in support of party leader Elizabeth May, Public Eye has learned.
But George Harris, the school's founder and director, has said it's possible the party might not like some of the work they'll be doing.
The school first announced it was backing May's Saanich-Gulf Islands election bid in an email newsletter distributed to prospective students earlier this month. As part of that effort, the academy's alumni, mentors and staff were "invited to use all the school's resources to tweet, blog, shoot, edit, tube, email, etc." to help the Green leader's local campaign.
In fact, according to Harris, the school is already in the process of producing a series of videos that will be released over a two-week period and promoted using social media.
He said the first will be "non-partisan totally. Get out to vote. Vote for the Earth on Earth Day. And that will be released just before Earth Day - which is this coming Friday (April 22)."
Harris said the school took that approach "because, to be honest with you, if the young people vote, May wins."
"It's a very conservative riding," he explained. "And the young people are not engaged.
"So if we can get them engaged it doesn't matter who they vote for - May will be the biggest winner."
Harris stressed the school's campaign isn't affiliated with the Green Party.
"I wouldn't be against it," he said. "But we'd have to be checking in with them all the time. 'What do you think about this? Is it safe to say this?' So they're probably going to be pissed off at us at some point."
Harris said the school won't need to register as a third-party advertiser in Saanich-Gulf Islands because its efforts are entirely voluntary.
May's rivals in that riding include incumbent Conservative candidate Gary Lunn, Liberal Renee Hetherington and New Democrat Edith Loring-Kuhanga.
Controversial fundraiser nets NDP big cash
The British Columbia New Democratic Party courted controversy late last year by courting the business community for financial donations. But that courtship - which took the form of a swish fundraising dinner at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver - earned the party more than $75,000, according to its most recent financial report.
Attendees at the $250-per-ticket dinner included individuals representing Enbridge Inc.'s Northern Gateway pipeline, fish farms and independent run-of-the-river projects - all of which have been criticized by the New Democrats.
Lobbyist Mark Jiles, who was Premier Gordon Campbell's constituency campaign manager during the 2005 election, also showed up.
And so did Jeff Bray, Shaw Communications Inc.'s government and regulatory affairs manager, a former Liberal MLA and caucus executive director.
Privately, some party members were less than pleased about breaking bread with those representatives, stirring up further discontent against party leader Carole James, who resigned just over two months later.
The trade-off: according to Election British Columbia filings, the gross income for the so-called A Night in the City event was $126,260.00 with expenses totalling $50,380.00. That means the dinner netted the party $75,959.20 - accounting for just under two per cent of the New Democrats' total contributions last year.
