Luxury suites were available at GM Place to B.C. Liberal government members during the Olympics if they were on official business, according to provincial minister of state for the Olympics, Mary McNeil. (CBC)The B.C. government is being accused of hiding exactly how much it spent on Olympic tickets and which insiders got free tickets to which events.
The Liberals have not honoured a promise to reveal who used the tickets and why, including tickets bought by Crown corporations, NDP Leader Carole James said Thursday.
"The secrecy continues. The confusion is getting worse," James said during question period in the legislature. "Why are taxpayers still being denied information on who used Olympic tickets?"
'The public doesn't believe that hiding behind gallons of whiteout is transparent or accountable.'—NDP MLA Mike Farnworth
The B.C. government said in October 2009 that it spent about $900,000 on Olympic tickets for MLAs and cabinet ministers to host visiting politicians, dignitaries and business leaders.
The minister responsible for the Olympics, Mary McNeil, said a full accounting of government use of Olympic tickets would be released in a few weeks, complete with details on which MLAs and ministers went to which events.
Some of the details of how Crown corporations used the tickets are already on their websites, McNeil said.
Crown corporations spent $1.3 million
The NDP said that a freedom of information request to BC Hydro came back with page after page blanked out.
"The public doesn't believe that hiding behind gallons of whiteout is transparent or accountable," said opposition MLA Mike Farnworth.
James demanded the Liberals release all details of who used government-purchased tickets and for which events, and that Crown corporations be forced to do the same.
"Crown corporations have their own reporting requirements," MacNeil said.
It was also revealed in the fall of 2009 that BC Hydro, ICBC and the BC Lottery Corporation had bought thousands of Olympic event tickets worth an estimated $1.3 million to distribute to staff, contractors, business partners and customers in contests.
With files from The Canadian PressShare Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria, B.C., native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria, B.C., native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim
