Two New Westminster, B.C., city councillors have serious concerns regarding a recent trip the mayor took to the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
New Westminster Progressives councillors Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas are questioning the transparency and financial details regarding Mayor Patrick Johnstone’s trip.
They said details surrounding the trip have been shrouded in mystery.
“Council was unaware of the trip in advance which was paid for by a third party even though the City of New Westminster has clear rules for approval of international travel for staff,” a press release from the two councillors said.
The two said the trip has raised more questions than answers and are concerned with the lack of transparency.
“The more we learn about this trip the more questions there are, mostly because there has been a real lack of openness and transparency around the financial arrangements and travel approval process,” Fontaine said.
“I’m unaware of any other Metro Vancouver mayor flying off to Dubai and accepting a free trip from this external organization. How did this come about, and who exactly paid for Mayor Johnstone and city staff to attend, and why?”
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The councillors said they asked for more information regarding the trip from the city’s chief administrative officer on Dec. 18, 2023. They said she responded with, “The total cost, excluding travel between staff’s home and the airport … held in tandem with the World Climate Action Summit during COP28, was covered by C40 Cities Climate Leadership group.”
“An estimate of the total costs was not provided to or approved by the Department, as all other costs have been managed solely through the Mayor’s office, and ultimately covered by the funders.”
City staff provided a link to the councillors for the C40 donors page, which includes major international corporations and organizations such as American-based Bloomberg Philanthropies, Inkga Group (IKEA), Foundation L’Oreal, FedEx and Google.
Minhas said he is concerned that all members of council were not made aware of this trip prior to the mayor leaving.
“No staff report, email or memo was forwarded to council in advance outlining the financial arrangements which were organized solely by the Mayor’s office,” the press release said.
“By now, Mayor Johnstone should have provided a complete report on the free trip he was gifted, including the cost of flights, accommodation, meals and ground transportation, and explain where the money actually came from to pay for it,” Minhas added. “At the same time, what was the carbon footprint of this trip compared to attending virtually?”
Fontaine said he has submitted a motion that will be debated in the coming weeks for the mayor to provide a comprehensive report of the trip.
Global News reached out to the mayor for comment. He said via text messages that he was on a family vacation and was unavailable for an interview.
In a subsequent text, he said his partner did not travel with him to COP28, but joined him for a few days in Dubai at her own expense. She did not attend any COP28 events.
When asked about the councillors’ concerns, he referred to his three-part blog post on his website.
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