A day after Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders defended the practice of giving his employees a crack at free days off if they contributed to the United Way campaign, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) confirms it does the same thing.
OLG, the taxpayer-supported provincial government agency that oversees gaming in the province, acknowledged in an email to Global News Tuesday that it offers similar incentives to employees who are charitable.
“As part of the campaign, OLG used dozens of creative activities across the province to engage employees, including draws for such items as a single day off from work, subject to an employee’s manager’s approval and workload considerations,” wrote Tony Bitonti, senior manager of media relations for OLG.
“Community engagement is an important part of the work of OLG, including supporting vital and valuable services for the people of Ontario.”
Bitonti said employees raised more than $400,000 for the United Way, which was significantly more than the original goal of $290,000.
But the practice of giving additional financial incentives to public employees to donate to the United Way’s Toronto and York Region campaign came under criticism when it was first reported by Global News in early December.
The CEO of the charity that benefits from the fundraising efforts said he welcomes employee-driven contributions, but with one caveat.
“As long as people are not doing illegal things, as they are not, we value the contributions they are making on the ground every day,” said Daniele Zanotti, CEO of United Way Toronto & York Region.
READ MORE: Toronto police officers offered time off in exchange for donations to United Way
Contributors to the United Way, a federally registered charity, can already claim a tax exemption. But the incentives being offered are over and above that.
“It’s not appropriate,” said Toronto city councillor and police services board member Shelley Caroll.
“This is not a good use of taxpayer funds.”
Former Toronto police services board member and city councillor Michael Thompson also expressed concerns.
READ MORE: Toronto police chief defends free days off for police who donate to United Way
“If there is such a benefit, they (city employees) will take advantage of it — but you would want to rethink that,” Thompson said.
Another city councillor mused that other city of Toronto departments are likely budgeting taxpayer funds to encourage employees to be generous.
“I’m going to say you’re onto something,” said Giorgio Mammoliti.
“The police are doing what other government departments have been doing for years,” he said, while encouraging Global News to discover and reveal other departments that offer the benefits.
In the case of Toronto police, employees who donated to the United Way were entered into a draw for one of 10 gift certificates worth $100.
Grand prize winners receive one of the five time-off gifts: three days off, two days off, one day off, or one of two prizes of half a day off.
A police insider, who tipped Global News to the practice, estimated that the cost of the prizes ranged between $4000 and $8000. The cost depends on the employees’ salaries and whether the police service has to use other employees on overtime to replace them.
Asked how his department could justify the incentives given budgetary pressures, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said Global News should focus more on the $412,000 raised by police employees for the United Way campaign rather than the incentives.
“Shame on you if you’re going to turn a good news story into a bad news story,” said Saunders, who walked away from an interview without saying if the program would be offered next year.
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