Questions -- Questions -- and MORE QUESTIONS about BC Liberal MLA Eric Foster, and the decision NOT to reappoint Auditor General John Doyle

Here's what Victoria Times Colonist writer Les Leyne says, "Liberal MLA Eric Foster is clear on one point — he had no idea while sitting in judgment on auditor general John Doyle’s fate that Doyle’s team had rapped his office earlier for not submitting receipts for a constituency-office renovation." 

OH REALLY??

Eric Foster’s Constituency office in Vernon seems to be pretty basic and very small -- as you can see from this screen shot of Google street level.  Now I'm no carpenter, but one would think that $78,000, or is it $67,000, would practically build a brand new building of this type. 

That's probably one reason why Auditor General John Doyle's office sent up red flags, and:

" ... questioned a $78,000 bill for renovations in Foster’s constituency office in 2009 that was “paid without an appropriate level of review for reasonableness and without adequate supporting documentation,” said the letter.  Foster’s staff only provided a spreadsheet showing $67,000 in work, without invoices or details, auditors noted."

It would seem that Eric is acting like a cornered rat, and acting on the old adage that the best defense is a good offense as we can see in a Globe and Mail story; "MLA Eric Foster demands probe into audit leak"

It is interesting (sadly perhaps) that he’s claiming the renovation expenditures are a “non-issue.”

Maybe that's also why Finance Minister Mike de Jong offered a boat anchor to his caucus colleague.  This news story from the Globe and Mail also says the De Jong had;

... little sympathy, saying the public should have access to details of how MLAs spend public money. “I have long spoken for the need for more transparency and increased public accountability for the dollars that are spent by MLAs and cabinet ministers,”

Again ... Liberal MLA Eric Fosters claims the renovation expenditures are a “non-issue.” 

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK? 

He certainly hasn’t substantiated that beyond a sloppy spreadsheet.  According to Les Leyne’s second op-ed, “sources say” that receipts were eventually submitted, but I’d sure like to see them.  I think BC voters also deserve to see them.

We should probably also ask what's with the initial request for $78,000, followed by a subsequent request for $67,000? How did $11,000 just get thrown in there, and then dropped so fast?  What item(s) did Foster suddenly decide might not look so good in a constituency office?

By the way, a date-range search for municipal building permits from January 1st, 2007 -- through to January 1st, 2011 -- shows nothing for 3209 31st Avenue Vernon, BC (his office).

If those kind of dollar figures worth of reno's were done wouldn't a building permit have been required? No building permit for renovations worth $67,000? 

Really?

Finally, why has Eric offered to pay everything back all of a sudden?  If there’s been no wrong-doing, why would he?

NOTE:  The auditor general suggested an investigation be done to see if the Financial Administration Act had been breached.

Should we also mention that his assistant’s family owns the building -- and that he claims not to have seen a letter that was passed from hand to hand inside and outside of the caucus.  

Something is very wrong here. 

With the amount of smoke billowing out of this issue, am I the only one wondering if there’s fire too?.

Maybe that's why there are Questions -- Questions -- and MORE questions about BC Liberal MLA Eric Foster, and the decision NOT to reappoint Auditor General John Doyle.

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts (and questions) of one conservative.