404. The following are not election expenses:(1) the cost of publishing articles, editorials, news, interviews, columns or letters to the editor in a newspaper, periodical or other publication, provided that they are published without payment, reward or promise of payment or reward, that the newspaper, periodical or other publication is not established for the purposes or in view of the election and that the circulation and frequency of publication are as what obtains outside the election period;
(2) the cost at fair market value of producing, promoting and distributing a book that was planned to be put on sale at the prevailing market price regardless of the election order;
(3) the cost of broadcasting by a radio or television station of a program of public affairs, news or commentary, provided that the program is broadcast without payment, reward or promise of payment or reward;
(4) the necessary costs of holding a meeting in an electoral division for the selection of a candidate, including the cost of renting a hall, of convening the delegates and of the publicity made at the meeting; the costs cannot exceed $4,000 nor include any other form of publicity;
(5) the reasonable costs incurred by a candidate for attending a meeting to select a candidate in an electoral division; the costs cannot include any publicity except that made by the candidate at the meeting;
(6) the reasonable expenses incurred by a candidate or any other person, out of his own money, for meals and lodging while traveling for election purposes, if the expenses are not reimbursed to him;
(7) the transportation costs of a candidate, if not subject to reimbursement;
(7.1) the other reasonable personal expenses incurred by a candidate, other than publicity expenses, if the expenses are not reimbursed to him;
(8) the transportation costs of any person other than a candidate, paid out of his own money, if the costs are not reimbursed to him;
(8.1) the cost of the food and beverages served at a political or fundraising activity where the cost is included in the entrance fee paid by participants;
(9) the reasonable expenses incurred for the publication of explanatory commentaries on this Act and the regulations thereunder, provided the commentaries are strictly objective and contain no publicity of such a nature as to favour or oppose a candidate or a party;
(10) the reasonable ordinary expenses incurred for the day-to-day operations of not more than two permanent offices of the party the addresses of which are entered in the register of the Chief Electoral Officer;
(11) interest accrued from the beginning of the election period to the day occurring 90 days after polling day, on any loan lawfully granted to an official representative for election expenses, unless the official agent has paid the interest and declared it as an election expense in his return of election expenses;
(12) the expenses incurred for the holding of meetings, the total of which does not exceed $200 for the entire election period, including the renting of halls and the convening of participants, provided the meetings are not directly or indirectly organized on behalf of a candidate or party;
(13) the publicity expenses, the total of which does not exceed $300 for the entire election period, incurred by an authorized private intervenor in accordance with Division V, without directly promoting or opposing a candidate or party, to publicize or obtain support for the intervenor’s views on a matter of public interest or to advocate abstention or the spoiling of ballots;
(14) the remuneration paid to a representative referred to in section 316.