Two audits of Vancouver’s Portland Hotel Society have revealed some interesting expense claims:
The leadership team of the Portland Hotel Society — Mark Townsend, his wife Liz Evans, Dan Small and Kirsten Stuerzbecher — chose to resign after the government gave the team an ultimatum earlier this week. Townsend said they were given “a stark choice” to either step down or fight a legal battle that would put the society into receivership.
Managers and directors expensed more than $69,000 over three years on restaurants, and more than $300,000 on travel to Vienna, Paris, Istanbul, New York City, Los Angeles, Banff and Ottawa, among other locations.
If Townsend’s name sounds familiar, that’s because this is not the first time he has appeared on SDA. He was prominently featured in a CNN International documentary about Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Here’s a list of some of the expense claims:
- Between May 21 and 23, 2012, transactions totaling $2,694.95 were noted for the Disney Resort Grand Anaheim. The receipt detailed a hotel reservation for two adults and two children. PHS management stated a hotel room was upgraded to accommodate a staff member in poor health as staff appreciation. Through further inquiries, IAS found the staff member noted was one of the PHS directors.
- On Jan. 12, 2013, $5,850.20 was spent on travel to Austria to teach harm reduction practices. Of these expenses, one night was spent in a luxury king size room with a rate of $549 per night.
- On May 3, 2012, $5,950.60 was spent on Transat Holidays. No receipt or documentation was provided for this transaction. Reason provided for the expense flights for a PHS director’s trip to the United Kingdom.
- On April 17, 2012, $678.23 was paid to a limousine company for travel of 11 people from Fairmont Pacific Rim to Grouse Mountain, then to a PHS director’s house. This executive charged $8,657.96 to the limousine company during fiscal 2013.
- A PHS employee was reimbursed $5,832 for the purchase of a Danube Cruise made on what appears to be their personal credit card. A handwritten note on the invoice indicates this was a gift for a PHS director (management). The invoice lists the director and another person as passengers.
- $7,024.72 was paid for a celebration-of-life event for a deceased employee.
- On June 6, 2012, $4,142.68 was spent on a mini-bus, driver and guide in the United Kingdom. No receipt was provided for this transaction. Reason provided was transportation while conducting research. On June 6, 2012, $4,757.52 was spent for a mini-bus, drive and guide in London. Reason provided was to cover transportation of equipment and supplies needed at various presentations and events.
- On July 7, 2012, $3,175.12 was spent on travel to Bristol, England for business purposes. One £288 per night room and one £420 per night room were charged at a hotel; charges relating to alcohol and spa services were also noted. £25 was expended on flowers.
- On July 7, 2012, $8,323.22 was spent on travel to the U.K. to look into heroin prescription programs and for other business purposes. The hotel room cost £478 (including 20-per-cent VAT) per night. A £35 charge for flowers was included on the hotel invoice.
- On March 3, 2013, $1,636.51 was spent at a restaurant for a staff-appreciation event. On the receipt provided, the total bill was $3,636.51. The receipt did not contain the name of the attendees or the business purpose for the expense. The restaurant wrote off $2,000 of the bill as “exchange.” PHS management states this bistro is in the Pennsylvania Hotel (a hotel owned by PHS). There is no written agreement between the restaurant and PHS documenting the nature of this discount.
- Monthly expenses of about $1,600 charged to PHS by the executive director for use of office space within their personal residence. In addition, improvement expenses such as cabinets were also charged to PHS for this space.
- On Dec. 19, 2012, $1,807.68 was spent for a Christmas “thank you” event.
- On Dec. 12 ,2012, $917.83 was spent on goods for a staff baby shower.
Outside of the genuine church-run charities, there is little on the united way list (or elsewhere) that qualifies as a genuine charity anymore – sonce lefty has discovered the limitless extent of public charity it has become a have for political organizers to reroute money into disrupting society and to satisy the entitlement notions of leftist administrators – some like the latest example even feel a charity is a lush sinecure.
I stopped donating to secular charities years ago after it became apparent most of the organizations I funded through united way were actively working to oppress me through big government lobbies. Since then the secular/trendy charity rackets have really gone dystopian left. Charity is the last refuge of klepto- progressia.
This is beyond entitlements; this was THEIR money, they deserved it for all the goog they did!
And it ppears they got away with it.
Still no signs of the missing plane here in Rio. I wonder if I can expense this trip to the search effort?
PHS owns a PEST control company, um, that rite there is funny. They probably use mirrors every morning and “see” the pests, and if they exterminated all the pests they would be out of “clients”!
” Its 451 staff support 1,153 rooms.”
WOW. What’s the caregiver ratio at your average nursing home?
It must also be mentioned that NDP MLA Jenny Kwan was married to Dan Small a director at PHS. I believe Dan Small was behind insite.
Jenny Kwan went on that trip to Disneyland and I believe the Europe trip too, She was not aware that her husband didn’t actually pay for the family vacay. She is shocked, shocked I tell you!
Dam DTES poverty industry and their greedy 1%’s…..
“I stopped donating to secular charities years ago after it became apparent most of the organizations I funded through united way were actively working to oppress me through big government lobbies.”
Yep and the “Humane Societies” fit right in there….
What amazes me is it appears that resignation is ‘good’ enough. No suggestion that criminal charges will be laid.
Seriously, are these people any different than the other carpetbaggers who infest all aspects of taxpayer funded operations? Not many years ago that the Liebel Party was exposed for massive fraud. Who of any consequence did time over that? The CPC gained the power to pursue that prosecution and looked the other way.
The attitude towards the taxpayer’s dollar is universal through government. It used to be a sacred trust but that was laughed away years ago. It is all about getting as much at the trough as possible while there.
But they’re saving the world gotcha know?
Fighting the WAR on POVERTY……..and being personally successful (wink wink nudge nudge)
No wonder they were proclaiming In site as a glorious success. Their bookkeeping was non-existent for expenses, yet Townsend has his mug all over TV, just so proud of his Poverty Pump ways……limo rides, regular high-end dinner parties, 5 star hotels, first class all the way baby, THATS how you fight poverty, the NDP way!
While we’re on the subject:
http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/20/obama-ladies-touch-down-china-amid-taxpaid-trip-up/
Canadians seem to me to be way less tolerant about this guff than they used to be, but Americans seem to have moved in the opposite direction — I guess the latter haven’t had their fill yet of liberalism.
Still waiting to hear or read that one of these parasites have gone to jail. Guess I will be waiting a long time. As in Toronto’s Pan-Am games former execs all that happens is they resign with a huge severance.
The American media move according to which party is in power. Bush was criticized for the cost of going to his own ranch, the Obama’s get a pass for overseas travel. It will always be thus. Democrat president and family equals royalty, Republican president and family equals Ferdinand Marcos clone.
good to see he wasn’t spending it frivolously on haircuts or even a comb
I’m with Occam, and haven’t donated to secular charities in a decade or more.
CT is right, people should be going to jail for this, but won’t be as the parasites cover each other’s a**es.
Occam is right. This is just the tip of an enormous iceberg. It is the main reason I turned my back on the left and woke up. The corruption is endemic and widespread, and the government* and business facilitate the whole works. As an example: Tzeporah Berman, of Clayoquot Sound fame, (or infamy) has never actually worked a day in her life, yet she is now a millionaire several times over. Like virtually all of the rest of these professional agitators she got bought off a long time ago and now sits at the centre of a massive, tax-payer funded web of political intrigue. Government used our money to buy these folks who — surprise, surprise — ultimately turned on their enablers and now work to unseat them. Not out of principle but for something much simpler; greed and malice. Now they have lost control of them and are virtually powerless to stop them lest the real truth be told and both sides go down. It’s about as diseased and corrupt as you can imagine. I witnessed the whole mess in the beginning and found it too much to take and fortunately just drifted away without raising much fuss. In many ways I am exactly like Dr Moore, just no where near as famous! Or smart… lol
*I added a qualifier here, as I believe the CPC is actually trying to do something about this mess. I worry however, that they are wavering in their resolve…
And just to add insult to injury for the taxpayers, the local Vancouver papers (Vancouver Sun and Province) have been hiding the story. There were 3 articles in the National Post by a local reporter totally ignored by the the 2 main Vancouver papers. Although I don’t think there would be much outrage from the looney lefties in Vancouver, the fact remains, that it’s taxpayer money being flushed down the freaking toilet.
“[The] fact remains, that it’s taxpayer money being flushed down the freaking toilet.”
Not true at all!
Think of the trickle-down effect on the travel and tourism industry – not to mention local restaurants and hospitality services in Vancouver.
And what about the company that cleaned Townsend and Evans’s “home office”?
How will all these people feed their families without the largesse and spending habits of the PHS executives?
Oh the humanity! Think of the children!
The Vancouver papers are actually on this. Free trips to Disneyland for the Professional Drug Enabler Class is a ‘big story’ even in leftie la la land. The conservatives tried to shut this nonsense down but our’Supremes’ overruled them.
Actually Rick, the Vancouver papers have been on this story. Free trips to Disneyland for the pimps in the Professional Drug Enabler Industry is a pretty big story. The Conservatives did try to defund Insite but their initiative was struck down by the ‘Supremes’.
Jesus said something like, “The poor, you will always have with you.” And why not, seeing as they are the meal ticket for a class of parasites who wax fat on money earmarked to alleviate poverty?
I see today’s Vancouver paper finally covering this story. For at least 5 days they have been ignoring it. Now an editorial..and not a very good one either. Heads should roll but of course that would be non-PC now wouldn’t it…
The modern day Aristocracy is merely living off the ignorant peasants and serfs like they have always done. After all, it is their Gaia-given right!
It will be interesting to see, if any of our intrepid BC MSM reporters bother to follow up, just where these corrupt people land.
Rest assured,they will NOT be unemployed very long,as some other leech organization will snap them up within months,maybe days. Also, will they be given the usual “golden handshake” that so many corrupt officials get when they are exposed?
Jenny Kwan is the BIG story in all this. The entitled NDP MLA is a classic political backstabber,having been the leader of the movement that booted Carole James from the NDP leadership.
And it’s no surprise she’s married to another leech/director of PHS.
The BC media rarely does it’s job anymore, but we’ll have to see if they do their duty and fully report the ends of this sordid affair.
Since the province isn’t jailing these thieves maybe its time for the feds to get involved.
This is exactly what we can expect from ‘grief merchants’ and ‘ghouls’ who profit from the suffering of others.
There are about 1,000 people they ‘help’ with 300 staff and $28 million to administer their services. Or 3.3 people helped by 1 staff member. I realize not all staff are “customer facing”, but it’s not relevant because at the end of the day the only value delivered by PHS is going to be the human to human interaction.
So they spend $23,000 a year, or $1,944 per month or $69 a day per person in the program? Another sanity check is to see that each staff member is responsible for $93,000 in salary, expenses and program costs. ($28 million /300).
This amount does not include the tax payers money being used for hospital care, police services, welfare payments, and housing, The $28 million grant is used to operate the housing (which is provided rent free by the BC Government to the society), and provide “services” to them.
These 1,000 people are costing society probably $100,000 a year, and you have to wonder how much they contribute to society, or if they have ever paid taxes.
Funny. Went to Can. Rev. Agency and entered PHS in its charities listing page and came with nothing. Interestingly, the last two entries for Downtown Eastside Residents Association (the agency that started the Portland Hotel project, founded in 1973 by Bruce Eriksen, Libby Davies, Jean Swanson)in 2009 and 2001 show that DREA had its charitable status revoked.
Thank god these loons weren’t as efficient with their money as they could have been or there’d be crackpipe vending machines on every corner of the city.
I think Jenny Kwan is an anagram for corruption in Chinese, but I digress. To be fair, all parties have their hands in the till, but credit where credit is due: This latest example was revealed after a BC gov’t audit. There are some solid conservatives in Chrispy Snark’s cabinet and I would not be surprised to find out they are quietly fumigating their ministries. But it is gonna take a lot more work to ferret out all the rats, of all stripes.
I hate the resignations instead of criminal prosecution.
Government is negotiating with fellow parasites, they always get a pass and a door to escape through, with our money.
There is no way to negotiate with a parasite, you are the meal ticket and the leech does not care.
The government is the problem here, by funding these organizations they enable these parasites to live large at our expense.
Most all of these quasi govt “Charitable institutions” are fronts, a means of funnelling tax dollars to the Kleptocracy.
Charity only functions, when done at the local level, once provinces or Feds are involved,they become a license to steal.
Until people are ready to riot over their money (tax or charity) being squandered, this sort of thing will continue.
Occam,
Makes sense to me. I’d add that there is now a blur between NGOs / Charities / Government. In Alberta ex-Premier Red Alley promised in the last election campaign to bring NGO pay in line with government pay. So we will have NGO workers being paid like government workers substantially with taxpayer money but not being responsible to the taxpayer.
Rules for donating that I like to follow are: Do I personally know someone volunteering/working in the organization? Can I easily get up to date information on their operations from a reliable source in the organization? Can I volunteer if I request?
Since using these criteria before donating I have narrowed my donations to very few groups.
Charity Fatique
You said it all right there. And that applies to the erosion of property rights, speech restrictions, environmental horsecrap, etc., etc.
All I see is dull, dumb acceptance.
Thus the endless cycle.
Looks like even the lefty media is outraged over this one John, so load up on some popcorn and pour some refreshments, I think we are in for a fine show. These creeps are going to wish they had never been born. In fact, I expect them to flee the lower mainland very soon or get lynched on East Hastings.
When stupid ignorant people make bad choices, guess who foots the bill.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/feds-spend-1m-to-fly-inuit-children-south-for-dental-surgery-1.2580423
Now that’s she’s been outed as corrupt, she runs away like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs. “she is taking an unpaid leave of absence to spend time with her children.”
If she was an honest person she would make it her job to expose how the money that was supposed to help the unfortunate got squandered on rich ‘non-profit’ folks instead. If she really cared she would expose the whole corrupt system that let her vacation on the taxpayers dime.
Instead she blames it all on her husband.
Who does she think she is: Michelle Obama?
Don’t steal. The government hates competition.
PHS? Pieces Huv Shit?