A bit of mismanagement to our North
From
The Vancouver Sun:
Portland Hotel Society audit finds hundreds of thousands of dollars in questionable expenses
Top managers at a Vancouver charity that�s supposed to help the poor in the Downtown Eastside have racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in limos, overseas trips, meals, parties and other perks because of lax financial oversight, government auditors announced Thursday.
The two audits, conducted by Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and BC Housing, paint a picture of lavish expenses for Portland Hotel Society managers and directors at a time when the society � charged with operating many services for the Downtown Eastside�s at-risk population � is teetering on the verge of financial trouble and potentially unable to pay its debts.
Auditors also outlined the oversight of almost $29 million in government funds paid to PHS annually, which are supposed to be used to run low-income supportive housing and addiction services, but which were also spent for a variety of other expenses without proper approval or documentation by the society board of directors.
A bit more:
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. Hotel rooms of up to $880 per night were charged for trips to the United Kingdom and Austria, including flowers, alcohol and spa services.
There were also more than $8,658 in limo fees in 2013, a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, a $5,832 cruise for a PHS manager, a $917 baby shower and a $7,025 �celebration of life� for a deceased employee.
I am continually surprised by people like this. Do they not realize that this kind of behavior is not sustainable and they will get caught. There is no exit strategy.
Posted by DaveH at March 21, 2014 1:37 PM