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Spending of Provincial Health Services Authority outrageous

The masks were the major amount spent in the $7 million
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Spending of Provincial Health Services Authority outrageous

The PHSA consists of 12 board members reporting to health minister Adrian Dix, and also 10 employees on the executive committee, with the head office on the 14th floor in a downtown Vancouver office tower. The board has five meetings per year.

Effective Feb. 2, 2020 the board and Adrian Dix appointed Benoit Morin as president and CEO of PHSA. Mr. Morin came from Montreal. His starting salary is $352,000 per year plus benefits, his accomodation, and a car as per his hiring agreements in relocating from Montreal to Vancouver.

Since his appointment, just recently a investigation pointed out that the PHSA had spent over $7 million of B.C. taxpayer money with no knowledge or approval of this to B.C. health minister Adrian Dix. The $7 million consisted of thousands of face masks from China that were not compatible for use to B.C. standards, thousands of dollars for unnecessary renovations, to executive offices, and tens of thousands of dollars on catered meals for executive staff and assistants. Breakfast included avocado toast with lemon ricotta berry crepes and lunch consisted of steak and salmon.

The masks were the major amount spent in the $7 million; $440,000 was spent on office renovations, shortly after $17 million was spent in renovations before PHSA moved into the 14th floor offices. $30,000 to $40,000 was spent on catered meals. PHSA wrote off the cost of the unused masks, as legal costs would cost too much to pursue the matter of masks not compatible for use in B.C.

This is totally outrageous, how a board of 12 people and a executive of 10 people can spend taxpayer dollars without getting approval from the minister of Health, Adrian Dix. Also ironic, how no reprimand is given to these people.

In Adrian Dix’s demand letter to the PHSA board and executive, Adrian quotes, “it is critical that health authority manage costs and optimize the budgets.”

CEO Benoit Morin states that the executive team’s salary package is based on performance and accountability. The executive staff yearly salaries start at $280,000 and up. The $7 million boondoggle breaks the ruling of performance and accountability.

Included is a benefit package fully paid for by the B.C. taxpayers. That includes extended health, dental, group insurance, dependent life insurance, vision care, and accidental health. Yearly vacation is 20 days for one to four years of service. After four years, an extra day of vacation for each year worked.

Unbelievable!

Joe Sawchuk

Duncan