Audit reveals lavish expenses by Portland Hotel Society
Posted March 20, 2014 11:36 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Unusual payments, unsupported expenses, and misuse of corporate credit cards: those are among the findings of a review of a high-profile Downtown Eastside group.
The province has released a couple of financial reports as it replaces the leadership at the Portland Hotel Society, a non-profit group that runs Canada’s only supervised injection site.
The province says a financial review and audit has uncovered significant concerns. The details are out, as leaders of the PHS Community Services Society step aside and a new board is put in place.
One review finds money spent on limousines, a luxury hotel room stay, and charges relating to alcohol and spa services.
The audit detailed over $8,600 spent on limousine rides last year, a stay in a UK hotel that cost almost $900 per night, and a trip for two adults and two children to the Disney resort in Anaheim at a cost of more than $2,600.
The audit also revealed the non-profit society is in weak financial shape, is more than $130,000 into it’s bank overdraft, and drew $1.2 million from lines of credit and a business loan.
On the other hand, the audit finds the organization is achieving its objectives when it comes to providing services.
Health Minister Terry Lake says the top concern is preventing any disruption to health services.
