 Print
BC Liberal MLA Linda Reid must answer for her expenses and her silence as Speaker, says NDP’s Garry Begg
1-23-2019
VICTORIA - Yesterday, British Columbians heard from Connor Gibson, the former BC Liberal caucus employee who blew the whistle on BC Liberal MLA Linda Reid, who may have been double-dipping on expense claims.
Gibson says that when he brought his concerns to Reid as well as senior BC Liberal caucus staff, they instructed him to process the claims anyways. Gibson then took his concerns directly to the Speaker’s office.
But Reid’s involvement extends beyond her own expenses. She presided as Speaker over the Legislature from 2013 to 2017, a time in which many of the alleged incidents of inappropriate spending took place.
In January 2014, an internal report warned Reid that Craig James received a massive $257,000 payment to which he may not have been entitled. (Plecas Report, pages 44-48)
Instead of taking action, it appears Reid did nothing – and the report mysteriously disappeared from the Speaker’s vault during her tenure.
Neither Linda Reid or Andrew Wilkinson has been available to media to answer questions on their party’s direct connections to the spending scandal.
BC NDP MLA Gary Begg on the record:
“It’s disturbing that Linda Reid kept silent even though she knew the Clerk may have collected over a quarter million dollars improperly. We see evidence of inappropriate spending going back years under BC Liberal speakers, and there's still a lot we don't know. British Columbians deserve answers from the BC Liberals about exactly what they knew and why they didn’t act.”
10 surprising expense claims from Speaker's report
Wood splitter and trailer
$13,000 in wood-splitting tools and a trailer "were delivered directly to Mr. James’s personal residence where they have allegedly been used by Mr. James and Mr. Lenz for their own purposes.
'Uniform' bought in the U.K.
Navy-coloured suit from Ede & Ravenscroft worth $1,157.26
Charcoal suit and several other items worth a total of $1,327.29 as business expenses.
Mustard, stamps and other gift shop purchases
The report also alleges "Mr. James claimed reimbursement for a number of gift shop purchases which are difficult to reconcile with a legitimate business purpose."
Gift shop purchases made between Aug. 2 and Aug. 11 in the U.K. allegedly came to a total of $1,360, according to the report.
Luggage bought on international trips
$253.61 worth of bags purchased in Edinburgh in Dec. 2017 and $1,138.34 claimed for a Victorinox luggage set bought in Hong Kong last June.
Along with a $743 purchase made in London that did not come with a description, these alleged claims amounted to $2,135.87.
Digital subscriptions
Plecas's report alleges James claimed $5,000 in digital subscriptions to publications such as Bicycling magazine, History Today, Palm Springs Life magazine, Wired, and a monthly Apple Music plan between April 2017 and December 2018.
Camera gear, headphones and tech services
"In December 2017, Mr. James was reimbursed for $658.45 for a waterproof camera," Plecas's report reads, adding that the clerk allegedly claimed more than $1,300 for memory cards and a tripod from the same store during 2018.
Apple products
"In the period April 2017 to July 2018, Mr. James was reimbursed over $5,000 for various computer-related items (mostly Apple products)," the report alleges. "These included computer adapters, cables, keyboards, mouses, external hard drives, iPhone cases, iPad cases, a USB drive, power adapters, Apple TV, an Apple pencil, a base stand for iPad pro, a HDMI Cable, and others."
Dozens of bottles of wine
In a section that lists expenses that are "concerning given their size and/or questionable appropriateness," the report alleges the clerk's office claimed $1,630 for 48 bottles of wine and one branded two-bottle box from the Painted Rock Estate Winery in Penticton on Nov. 9, 2017.
Two other two-bottle boxes, the document claims, were purchased on Nov. 29 of that year worth $226.81.
Whale-watching tours and ferry services
$900 allegedly spent on a whale watching tour in Victoria on Aug. 13.
The report alleges $1,420.29 was charged to the legislature for nine tickets on the "Clipper" ferry service between Victoria and Seattle on Aug. 15.
Tickets to baseball games
$1,300 were expensed for 13 tickets to a Seattle Mariners game on Aug. 16.
During that day and the next, a total of around $6,500 was also claimed for meals at various Seattle restaurants and "transportation from the Westin Hotel to the Washington Capitol Building and then to Safeco Field, apparently for a stadium tour, and finally back to the West Hotel," the report alleges.
The full report follows. Viewing this on our mobile beta site? Tap here for a compatible version.
Footnotes:
|