2 construction unions, landlord group have given parties more than $300K in past 3 years.

With Premier Kathleen Wynne vowing to ban corporate and union donations starting next January, CBC News compiled data from Elections Ontario showing donations to the Liberal, Progressive Conservative and New Democratic parties since 2013.

This is the first time any media outlet has crunched the numbers to reveal a full list of who’s pumping the most money into Ontario’s political system.

1. United Assoc. of Plumbers & Pipefitters: $491,723
Topping the list is the United Association, the union that represents plumbers, pipefitters and related workers in the construction industry. Individual locals of this union, as well as its provincial council and political action funds donated nearly half a million dollars since 2013, split roughly 70/30 between the Liberals and the NDP.

2. United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners: $484,265
Another union representing construction industry workers comes in second on the list. The Carpenters Union and its provincial district council were the biggest single donor to the Ontario Liberal Party, giving $413,690 to the governing party, nearly eight times the amount given to the PCs.

3. Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario: $327,665
The association represents the owners and managers of residential rental accommodation. It’s been the biggest single donor to the PCs over the past three years, giving $153,392, and nearly as much to the Liberals ($145,550). The bulk of the landlord group’s donations went to PC and Liberal leadership candidates.

4. Insurance Bureau of Canada: $315,310
The lobby group for insurance companies split its donations primarily between the Liberals ($152,325) and the PCs ($143,035).

5. GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc.:  $266,640
The ethanol producer and its subsidiaries gave more than 90 per cent of its donations to the Liberals ($249,350), making it the biggest corporate donor to the party and the Liberals’ third-largest donor overall.

Rounding out the top 10
Ranked number 6 overall is the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF). It’s the biggest donor among the public-sector unions and the biggest single donor to the NDP ($241,065).  In seventh spot, nuclear power generator Bruce Power, spreading its $256,991 in donations among all three parties. And rounding out the top 10 are three more unions,  Labourers International Union of North America (LIUNA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association.

Most unions in the top rank donated to both the Liberals and the New Democrats, but a few gave exclusively to the NDP: including the United Steelworkers, the Amalgamated Transit Union, and CUPE.  Several other unions pointedly gave no money to the PCs, including OSSTF, SEIU and the Fire Fighters Association and its affilliates.

The NDP got nothing from several corporations, including GreenField Specialty Alcohols, TD Bank, Aecon Group, Morguard Corp. and EllisDon.

Source: cbc