The theft of $175,000 in Port Coquitlam taxpayer funds by a city employee has prompted a whistleblower policy for municipal staff.
The proposed policy, which was scheduled to go before city council at last night's meeting, is designed to protect employees and council when reporting possible internal misconduct.
The guideline comes seven months after The Tri-City News broke the story of a PoCo worker who, over the course of three years, used a city credit card and the purchasing system to bill a total of $175,000 to purchase tools and other gear, then resell them for personal gain.
That unidentified employee confessed to the offences when confronted after a co-worker alerted a manager.
(The employee repaid all the money and resigned, and, last month, a police report was forwarded to Crown counsel, which will decide whether to lay criminal charges.)
The city policy, as recommended by department heads and brought forward this month by PoCo's human resources manager Steve Traviss, notes: "The city expects, supports and will protect all individuals who report improper conduct and wrongdoings" such as theft, bribes, conflicts of interest and embezzlement; unauthorized or inappropriate use of city funds, assets or corporate information; and violations of the criminal and human rights codes.
It also outlines the reporting procedure: civic employees and councillors — or their managers — are to write a statement that is detailed enough to launch an internal investigation, if needed.
But if the worker or official makes report deemed to be in bad faith, they will face discipline.
Whistleblower protection is not new for local governments in Canada. Vancouver has one for civic workers while, in Toronto, city hall staff can remain anonymous when making reports.
In 2009, the city of Coquitlam adopted whistleblower rules. Two years later, Port Moody's city manager approved a serious complaints policy "to provide a process for employees to report any conduct that is not consistent with city policies and bylaws, without the fear of retaliation or penalization" as long as the report is in good faith.
Traviss told The Tri-City News he reviewed a number of municipal whistleblower policies in other jurisdictions and organizations to model their language. He also said there have been no other known incidents of misconduct since the $175,000 theft was discovered in February.
Traviss said other policies have been put in place at PoCo city hall since the theft was discovered, including:
• a review of approval thresholds for staff who have purchasing authority;
• a requirement for staff responsible for approving purchases to undertake detailed and regular budget analysis and account variances;
• and training on fraud awareness for managers responsible for approving purchases.
As well, as part of the 2018 budget deliberations, staff will bring forward a request for funding to implement ongoing internal audit reviews by a third party.
