A growing number of Metro Vancouver mayors and councillors have revealed they billed taxpayers for ritzy hotel rooms during a conference last weekend, including Surrey’s Dianne Watts.
The local politicians are under fire for staying at the Fairmont Pacific Rim and other downtown hotels during the four-day Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference, despite living well-within driving distance.
Some of the politicians involved have justified the hotel costs because they allowed them to stick around after the conference and network.
“We need the tools to do our job well, and doing that there are costs associated with providing those tools,” said Surrey councillor Barinder Rasode.
There’s evidence the stay wasn’t all business, however. Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart posted pictures on Saturday of an outing on Vancouver’s seawall.
“I don’t think people would be so selfish that they would begrudge them at least a mental health break,” Rasode said.
The City of Surrey, located 30 kilometres from Vancouver, spent about $4,500 for Mayor Watts and four councillors to stay at the Fairmont, while Delta spent about $3,000 for Mayor Lois Jackson and two councillors.
Mayor Watts wrote to CTV News to say that she only spent 2 nights at the hotel, and worked three 11-hour days in a row at the conference. Two nights would total about $500 at the conference room rate, with taxes.
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart said his city paid about $4,000 so he and four councillors could stay for the entire conference.
The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation said it will be filing Freedom of Information requests to obtain all relevant receipts and paint a clearer picture of exactly how much was spent.
The Federations’ Jordan Bateman said politicians’ reasoning for the stay is unacceptable, and suggests a culture of entitlement among elected officials.
“There are times when I work early, there are times when I work late, there are times when I’m at events. You don’t have the luxury of a hotel room in the private sector, you just find a way to make it work,” Bateman said.
New Westminster Mayor Wayne Wright stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel on the taxpayers’ tab, but four other attendees from the city did not. Councillor Betty McIntorsh stayed at the Fairmont, but picked up the bill herself.
“New Westminster’s’ taxes keep going up every year and I am one of the councillors who said let’s slow down on this,” McIntosh said.
So far, no one who took the cash has offered to pay it back.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Jon Woodward
