Vancouver scandal heats up the municipal elections today

The loan, reportedly authorized at a closed-door city council meeting, and questions over who leaked the information about it to the media, have become the dominant issue in the campaign.

"There should have been real issues that emerged in this campaign, issues about affordable housing, transportation and citizenship engagement," says Kera McArthur, a board member with the policy development group Think City.

"But when these other things come up, it takes away from the issues and nobody benefits when citizens aren't engaged in an election."

While councillors on both sides of the campaign were at the meeting that approved the loan, the outcome has hurt the ruling Non Partisan Association party the most.

McArthur said the loan has raised the issue of accountability and civic governance, which could bring out more voters.

Already, voter turnout in advance polls shows there is more interest than usual in this campaign. Nearly twice as many people voted in the advance polls as they did in 2005.

Sam Sullivan, the outgoing mayor, is not running in the race.

But his heir in the NPA, Peter Ladner, a businessman, faces rival Gregor Robertson, the candidate from Vision Vancouver, who has his own business background as founder of the Happy Planet organic juice company.