There’s nothing quite like pouring through 87,527 credit card charges to the B.C. government’s plastic on a hot summer night.
Totalling more than $51.3 million, this past year’s charges will go down as the alphabet pasta of financial reporting.
There were charges for $15,677 at BCCAT (BC Council On Admissions and Transfer), $1,628 at CATAP (Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals) and $570 at MMCDA (Master Municipal Construction Documents Association). International Trade charged $13,585 at AVEQIA in London, England for hosting a Taste of BC event.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure charged $799 at DPSSKIS-QUIVRSINC. May have something to do with skis, or not.
Former premier Christy’s Clark office billed $5,939 at PRMRC, which is either the Private Royal Marines Reserve Commandos or Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort in Cranbrook. I’m putting my money on the latter.
Her office also charged $1,770 at Chloë Angus Design, the former premier’s fashion designer of choice in Vancouver. The bill was likely for the cost of gifts for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit last fall. I wonder if Premier John Horgan has a favourite fashion designer?
In keeping with its mandate, the Ministry of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction charged $8,567 at Annual Convention. After all, is it really necessary to know whose convention it was or is that just another layer of needless government red tape?
Five ministries charged $6,142 at FileMaker, 15 spent $21,353 at Records Management and 18 billed a paltry $138,756 with Shred-It.
The premier’s office only appears among the charges at Shred-It.
In the skies, Air Canada was the carrier of choice at $4.9 million, followed by Helijet ($1.9 million), Harbour Air ($1.6 million) and WestJet ($1 million). Top three frequent flyers on the whirley birds were Transportation ($190,089), Education ($195,616) and Health ($400,366).
In the fast food department, McDonald’s ($20,674) was champ, followed by Dairy Queen ($3,124), Pita Pit ($1,309), Wendy’s ($880), KFC ($417) and Burger King ($161). But the big fav for eating on the go was pizza, with Boston Pizza out in front ($35,820), distantly followed by Domino’s ($9,974) and Panago ($7,084).
Tim Horton’s ($63,581) beat out Starbucks ($21,119) for coffee.
Would have thought the Ministry of Natural Gas Development would have opted for gas but instead charged $284 at Candlelight Catering.
Various ministries charged $11,270 at DoubleTree by Hilton, Four Points by Sheraton ($12,984) and Four Seasons Hotel ($108,590), $87,310 of which was charged at the Four Seasons in Seoul, South Korea.
Health charged $150 at Dieticians Canada and $1,385 at Cakes Etc.
Environment charged $140 at Go Fresh, $637 at GoPro and $1,191 at GoDaddy.
One savings to the government from removing tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ear bridges will be the $92,194 in charges slapped on government credit cards for crossing the bridges.
Four ministries resorted to plastic to pay BC Hydro bills ($2,655).
And who knew Ernst and Young took Mastercard? More importantly, who would have thought the Ministry of Finance might not be good for the $3,160 bill?
Then again, after the BC Hydro charges, maybe they know something we don’t.
Dermod Travis is the executive director of IntegrityBC.
www.integritybc.ca • @integritybc
