Public unions and labour groups were the largest spenders in the year preceding last spring’s Alberta election, according to the latest annual report from the Chief Electoral Officer.

Third party advertisers of all stripes spent about $3.5 million in 2022, including $2.98 million from so-called ‘political third party advertisers’ (PTPA) — which are only allowed to spend outside election periods.

Of ‘election third party advertisers’ (EPTA) — which can advertise anytime they want — 73% of approximately $438,000 of contributions came from trade unions. The vast majority, $320,000 came from the Alberta Federation of Labour while the balance of $116,958 was attributed to the National Police Federation.