Royal wedding paraphernalia, a wood splitter, designer suits, personal subscriptions (including Palm Springs Life Magazine) and personal vacations are just some examples of the B次元官网网址渇lagrant overspendingB次元官网网址� that House Speaker Darryl Plecas alleges Sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz and and Clerk Craig James charged to the Legislative Assembly.

In a 76-page report released Monday, Plecas laid out a picture of expensive personal indulgences and professional disregard, with sums of B次元官网网址渋nappropriate payoutsB次元官网网址� and spending in the millions of dollars.

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The speakerB次元官网网址檚 office also released 31 B次元官网网址渆xhibitsB次元官网网址� to support the report, each internal documents which include attendance lists, expense claims, travel expenses and requests for payout and life insurance.

In a joint statement released Monday, Lenz and James denied the report, calling allegations B次元官网网址渇alse and untrueB次元官网网址� and its public release without contacting them an effort to B次元官网网址渇urther blacken our reputations.B次元官网网址�

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PlecasB次元官网网址� full report can be read , but some highlights include:

UK Trip

Plecas said he first noticed unreasonable spending on a trip to the United Kingdom with Lenz and James, which was originally for an M15 meeting, but that most interactions were social. Alleged expenses included:

• Staying at a B次元官网网址渧ery expensive hotelB次元官网网址� directly across from the Houses of Parliament
• Meals at high-end restaurants
• The purchase of a new speakerB次元官网网址檚 hat from an B次元官网网址渉istoric and expensive storeB次元官网网址� followed by the purchase of a suit and cuff links, totalling $1,157.26
• Souvenirs, including Royal wedding paraphernalia, card games, stamps, note books, three watches, B次元官网网址淨uotable ChurchillB次元官网网址� paraphernalia, recreational books, pens, and cuff links totaling $1,360.22

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Unusual Office Expenses

Plecas noted a series of alleged B次元官网网址渦nusual office expensesB次元官网网址� that seemed to be of B次元官网网址減ersonal natureB次元官网网址�. These included:

• JamesB次元官网网址� expenses on his personal subscriptions to magazines, including Palm Springs Life Magazine, Electric Bike Magazine and Arizona Highways Magazine. These totalled over $5,000.
• James was reimbursed $658.45 for a waterproof camera, $78.39 for a camera case, $515.18 for memory cards and $800.78 for a tripod
• James was reimbursed $504.44 for Bose noise-cancelling headphones
• James was reimbursed $785.85 for B次元官网网址淒ial A GeekB次元官网网址� computer services, including for an B次元官网网址渋Mac with weird zoom issue.B次元官网网址�
• James was reimbursed over $5,000 from April 2017 to July 2018 for Apple products
• The ClerkB次元官网网址檚 office processed over $10,000 for a B次元官网网址淟egislative Assemblies Business Continuity Network Conference.B次元官网网址� Plecas noted B次元官网网址淣either the purpose of the conference nor the reason why the British Columbia Legislative Assembly would be hosting a conference in Washington State, is evident from the documents.B次元官网网址�

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Alcohol Expenses

• Plecas received reports that allegedly a B次元官网网址渓arge amount of alcoholB次元官网网址� was loaded onto LenzB次元官网网址檚 truck, apparently for former speaker Bill Barisoff. The alcohol was valued at $8,789.84, itB次元官网网址檚 unconfirmed whether Barisoff received it.
• The ClerkB次元官网网址檚 office bought 48 bottles of wine for $1,631.27

Wood Splitter and Trailer

• Allegedly, $13, 230.49 was expensed by James to the Legislative Assembly for a wood-splitter and work/tools trailer. None of these purchases were brought to Legislature, and instead were delivered to JamesB次元官网网址� personal residence for his and LenzB次元官网网址� use.
• The RCMP intervened and took possession of the wood-spliter, while the trailer B次元官网网址渟ubsequently materializedB次元官网网址� in the Legislature parking lot after Nov. 20, 2018, B次元官网网址渨ithout any indication of how it got there.B次元官网网址�
• James claimed he was B次元官网网址渉oldingB次元官网网址� the wood splitter because there was no room. Plecas noted that if there was no room there was question why it was purchased in the first place.

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Salary Increases

Internal efforts by high-authority figures, including former House-Clerk George MacMinn saw continuous annual salary increases B次元官网网址渨ithout rationaleB次元官网网址� for James and LenzB次元官网网址檚 roles.

• By March 2018, LenzB次元官网网址檚 salary was $347,090.00, more than the Chief Judge of the provincial court of B.C.

Vacation Payouts

Legislative Assembly staff are supposed to use a minimum of 15 days of vacation time per year. If there are unused vacation days, they can be rolled over or paid out, though B次元官网网址渁dditional days are not to be paid out in lieu unless there are extraordinary circumstances.B次元官网网址�

• Allegedly, both James and Lenz regularly took payment in lieu, despite also taking time off, though they did B次元官网网址渘ot record these as official vacation days.B次元官网网址�
• James was B次元官网网址渞arely to be seen at work on FridaysB次元官网网址�
• Both have claimed between 28 and 54 days of vacation payout per year, totalling tens of thousands of dollars

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Retirement Allowance

In 1984 a benefits program was developed for three senior clerks since they did not fall in terms of the Public Service Act Retirement Allowance. The program ended in 1987, however James wrote a memorandum in 2012 that argued that outstanding accrued liabilities had to be paid out, since he was hired in 1987 before it ended.

• James received a payment of $257, 988.38
• Three other senior staff members received a combined total of $401,525.42 for this allowance

On Nov. 20, 2019 James and Lenz were escorted out of the B.C. Legislature by police and put on administrative leave while the RCMP continue an investigation.

nicole.crescenzi@vicnews.com

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