The B.C. legislature’s suspended clerk and sergeant-at-arms are being accused of hundreds of thousands of dollars in “flagrant overspending” in a report produced Monday by Speaker Darryl Plecas. Clerk Craig James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz claimed inappropriate expenses, went on lavish foreign trips during which little work was done, and handed out questionable retirement and pay benefits, according to the report. Here are five of the wildest expenses claimed in the 76-page report.
The report states that several hundred thousands of dollars were paid out to James and Lenz in allegedly unused and rolled-over vacation days. The department has policies against rolling over more than five days per year and using fewer than 15 vacation days per year. In 2015, James used just six of his allotted 35 vacation days. He was paid out for 29 days. In 2018, Lenz was paid out 49 days, which included rolled-over days, and was allotted 35. The report estimates the payouts have amounted to 20 per cent of their salaries in some years.
They bought “uniforms” (read: suits and shirts) at a shop in London called Ede & Ravenscroft on Aug. 3. James bought a charcoal suit, bookmarks and two other items totalling $1,327.29. “Black court suit” is handwritten on the receipt. Lenz purchased an onyx and silver stud set, a mother-of-pearl stud set, mother-of-pearl cufflinks, and a Marcella wing shirt at a total cost of $666.11. James made reimbursement claims for several purchases at a gift shop which the report says are hard to justify as business expenses. They include: diaries, notebooks, chocolate bars, Royal Wedding memorabilia, books, card games and cufflinks. The items totalled more than $13,000 over almost 10 days.
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