B.C. legislature financial mess slowly being cleaned up: auditor general

VICTORIA – B.C.’s auditor general says the mess in the financial accounts of the provincial legislature is slowly being cleaned up, but there’s still some way to go.

The appraisal by John Doyle follows a scathing audit last July that found the records were so disorganized that he couldn’t determine if bills were being paid.

Doyle’s latest report says improvements in record-keeping and accounting have been made since then, but an all-party legislative committee that oversees finances needs to work harder to ensure greater openness and accountability.

The report singles out what Doyle calls unusual financial arrangements for retiring officers of the legislature and office renovations for Vernon-Monashee Liberal Eric Foster, who happens to be the chair of the committee that voted against rehiring Doyle for a second term as B.C. auditor.

Foster says the office renovations, which included a new furnace, windows and paint job, were approved by the legislature’s comptroller, but he admits he’s now repaying $67,000 to the legislature from his constituency funds.

Doyle’s report also says there’s not enough documentary evidence to determine whether retirement packages worth $660,000 paid to four former officers of the legislature were appropriate.