Jim Prentice, PC leadership candidate, releases donor list

Tory leadership candidate Jim Prentice has thus far raised more than $1.8 million to fund his bid to take over the premier's office, according to documents released by his campaign Friday.

Prentice is widely thought to be the front-runner in the race to replace Alison Redford, who stepped down in March.

The list of 564 individual and corporate donors was made public Friday, a week ahead of the first ballot in the three-man election to take over the reigns of the party that has governed Alberta for 43 years.

"I am fulfilling a commitment I made at the outset of my campaign to proactively disclose all donations to date ahead of the first ballot," Prentice said in a news release Friday.

A financial breakdown shows the campaign received:

• 203 donations of $250 or less;
• 180 donations of $251 to $1,000;
• 142 donations of $1,001 to $10,000, and;
• 39 donations of $10,001 to $30,000

"One of the priorities I've been speaking of throughout this campaign is the need for transparency and accountability in government," said Prentice, a former federal cabinet minister under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"I am proactively disclosing all my donations well ahead of Elections Alberta requirements, because this is the kind of honest leadership that Albertans are asking for right across this province. I hope the other two candidates will join me in my commitment to transparency in their campaigns.

The two men also vying for the leadership, former Redford cabinet minister Thomas Lukaszuk and Ric McIver, have also pledged to release their donor lists before the first-ballot vote on Sept. 6. Neither had done so as of Friday.

Elections Alberta rules require all leadership campaigns to file financial statements after the election, which could go to a second ballot on Sept. 20.Among them were:

• Denny Andrews;
• Fred Mannix;
• Stanley Milner;
• James Riddell;
• Clayton Riddell;
• JR Shaw;
• Don Wheaton Ltd.;
• PCL Constructors Inc.;
• Talisman Energy inc.;

Donors who gave from $1,001 to $10,000 included:

• Jack Agrios;
• David Dorward;
• Ross Grieve;
• IrvingKipnes;
• DianneKipnes;
• Jim Prentice;
• HankSwartout;
• Ralph Young, chief executive officer ofMelcorDevelopments