Former Red River College president’s use of surplus marble questioned

WINNIPEG – Former Red River College president Stephanie Forsyth is again the focus of questions about spending and accountability during her tenure.

Forsyth, who stepped down at the beginning of this school year, used what she called scrap marble from the construction of the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute building in her Wellington Crescent kitchen renovation, according to emails obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

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Colin Craig, Prairie director of the fiscally conservative lobby group, forwarded a news release Tuesday morning with quotes from and links to documents obtained under Freedom of Information legislation.

“Marble from the PGI construction exists in Ms. Forsyth’s residence and she has indicated it was material marked for disposal,” says an email from Richard Lennon, the chair of the Red River College Board of Governors.

It was one of a flurry of emails in early September about how to handle questions posed by Craig and a reporter.

“Even if it was marked for disposal it shows poor judgement (sic) at best, dishonesty at worst,” an email from acting president David Rew says (links to email PDFs supplied by Colin Craig).

Forsyth stepped down after media reports documented questionable expense claims, including for her driver’s licence and golf shoes, and allegations of a hostile atmosphere at the school. She also was the subject of controversy over her $261,000 salary, more than $100,000 more than Premier Greg Selinger earns.

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An examination of her use of the surplus marble was contained in a report that was given to the college in August and then forwarded to the province, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation news release says.

The report didn’t conclusively find that the use of the marble was or was not a contravention of college policy, according to the internal emails.

That email chain shows high concern about the damage that could be done to the college’s reputation by the news that Forsyth used the surplus marble.

“Her indication that this was marked for disposal is not verified by a third party,” says an email from chief advancement officer Kim Jasper about possible media questions. “Has or had it been valued? Marble is highly expensive, even in small quantities.”

Christine Payne, Red River’s director of college and public relations, said as she hadn’t read the report on the matter, she wasn’t very comfortable providing advice.

“I recommend a strong message be provided based on the language used in the report,” Payne says. “The findings have been provided to the province and thus could be available publicly. Given this may be the case, perhaps a discussion with the minister’s office be initiated tomorrow? … This story will definitely receive media attention once published.”

It’s not clear from the emails whether that discussion took place.

“Agreed, we need a definitive answer to protect the board and the college,” Jasper says in an email responding to Payne.