Latest news with #RichmondCityHall
Global News
24-07-2025
- Business
- Global News
‘There should be a paper trail': Little oversight on Richmond gift card buys, FOI reveals
New revelations about City of Richmond's rampant spending on gift cards are prompting more concerns and questions. Freedom of information (FOI) request results for 2019 through 2021 obtained by Global News show that while some cards were bought for long-service employees, others indicate otherwise. Receipts contained in the more than one thousand pages have markings on them saying they're for 'prizes,' 'goals and accomplishments,' 'team building,' 'no sick time taken,' 'prizes for Halloween,' and 'take our kids to work day volunteer appreciation.' 2:00 Documents reveal more gift card spending at Richmond City Hall Many indicated they were for 'employee appreciation' and 'staff recognition.' One receipt reads, 'Gift cards for future staff appreciation.' Story continues below advertisement 'It doesn't seem any of these expenses are normal for municipal councils or staff, and it seems the financial controls were totally out of control, that someone was able to get away with it for so long, and it also seems like more than one person would have to be involved,' said Duff Conacher with Democracy Watch. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Taxpayers bought cards for Lululemon, Cineplex, Netflix, Fairmont Hotels, Petro Canada, Indigo, restaurants, Visa, and Mastercard. In an email, the city said some cards were for a United Way fundraising campaign. The documents follow Global's reporting on earlier FOI results for 2022 through 2024. The City of Richmond initially denied there was a problem. In one email, it said there was no gift card budget in the City of Richmond. 22:10 Global News one-on-one with Richmond mayor after camera grabbing incident Later, the city admitted $295,000 worth of gift cards are unaccounted for. Story continues below advertisement So far, one person has been fired, while a forensic audit is going back 10 years and a criminal investigation is underway. Not once over six years' worth of documents does there appear to be a single email questioning the purchases. 'There should be a paper trail if these things were being bought for rewards or bonuses for employees, and if there isn't that paper trail showing that, then it looks pretty much like people were using gift cards as a way of trying to cover up the fact they were really just taxpayer money to spend for themselves,' Conacher said. The City of Richmond told Global News that an initial review of records for 2019-2021 suggests they followed procedures in place at that time.
Global News
21-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Forensic audit into City of Richmond gift card spending expanded to last decade
Amid a police investigation into spending, a forensic audit at Richmond City Hall has been expanded to review the past decade. That decision came during a City of Richmond General Purposes Committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon, at which Councillor Kash Heed put forward a motion calling for the review to go back to 2015. 2:06 RCMP investigating Richmond City gift card program It was approved unanimously, with Councillor Bill McNulty commenting, 'it's on everyone's mind in the city, it doesn't matter if you go to McDonald's or you go shopping.' Story continues below advertisement Following a months-long Global News investigation, the city admitted being unable to reconcile $295,000 worth of restaurant gift cards bought in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy One employee has been fired. That person's emails were contained in the results of Global News' freedom of information request. Among the emails raising questions was one which stated, 'We need to order more…We need 75 Keg asap. $50 value, bonuses on top. We also need 50 white spot asap $50 value, bonuses on top.' Another email said, 'We have a somewhat urgent order for GCs. I'd like to have them by end of day tomorrow. I can pick up from anywhere. We need: 25 x $100 Boston Pizza.' Also among the emails, 'I know we just ordered but I think we need a different denomination of WS cards. Can you order 60x $100 cards excluding bonuses. Optically, I think it looks better if each restaurant card is in the same amount.' And, there was this one, 'Here is my 2023 statement of account you can see the values spent already this year. Based on the amounts spent already to the various suppliers, do you want to send me a revised gift card request?' Story continues below advertisement When asked how much might be unaccounted for over a decade, and if that could reach a million dollars, Heed responded, 'that's a possibility.' 'I'm not discounting anything at this particular time, given the fact as to what has come to the forefront,' he added. The scandal has prompted four municipal councillors in the region to renew calls for the province to reinstate B.C.'s municipal auditor general. They have also launched a petition. 'This petition today finally gives the public the opportunity to actually participate and have their voice heard,' New Westminster Councillor Daniel Fontaine said. As the investigation continues, it remains undetermined if others could be fired or if there could be criminal charges.
