The City of Richmond is now ground zero for a number of controversies.
The RCMP continues to investigate gift card purchases by the City of Richmond, after a Global News investigation revealed nearly half a million dollars was spent on cards between 2022 and 2024.
A forensic audit is also reviewing the past 10 years of gift card purchases in Richmond, where one employee has been terminated.
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie told Global News, “Well, what I can say is on the gift card issue, we are trying get to the very bottom of this situation.”
Also being questioned are massive salaries. In 2024, Brodie’s compensation totaled more than $379,000 – payments coming from the city, Metro Vancouver, TransLink and The Municipal Finance Authority.
Former Olympic Oval CEO George Duncan was paid $582,000.
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Duff Conacher with Democracy Watch commented, “People are getting paid $582,000 in a public sector position, I mean that’s crazy.”
He added that “the salaries for these officials seem to be much greater than what should be paid to public officials for these kinds of positions.”
Recently, the Olympic Oval and the city refused requests to disclose costs of a 2022 European junket to Olympic-related events.
Brodie says he was unaware. “I did not know about that trip. I think that number of people sent was excessive.”
Sources later told Global News that almost $78,000 was spent sending eight people to Spain and Switzerland. It’s a sharp contrast to Vancouver, Whistler and West Vancouver, who all say they have not gone on any Olympic-related trips since 2020, despite having hosted events in 2010.
Meanwhile, a forensic audit of the Olympic Oval continues. An outside agency is examining possible fraudulent activity or questionable transactions.
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