Mayors split on ethics, and even legalities, of accepting free tickets

JANE ARMSTRONG VANCOUVER — From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published on Saturday, Feb. 06, 2010 12:00AM EST

The offers were once-in-a-lifetime tempting; box seats at an Olympic men's hockey game, and a package containing two Olympic tickets plus Vancouver accommodation. Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz just said no. At best, accepting freebies is morally iffy, the mayor said. At worst, it is illegal. "You need to walk a straight line and not bend any rules," Ms. Gaetz said in an interview. "I am straight when it comes to that kind of thing. I guess I am Pollyanna-ish. I get accused of that." Ms. Gaetz's high-road stand hasn't stopped other elected officials from jumping on the Olympic ticket gravy train. Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar was unapologetic about his plans to take his wife to the Winter Games' opening ceremonies next Friday night using tickets courtesy of the BC Lottery Corporation. "Sometimes there are things that only the mayor gets invited to," Mr. Milobar said in an interview. "Certainly, I'm looking forward to it," the mayor continued, adding: "Part of the job of the mayor is to go to corporate events."

With nearly $3-million worth of taxpayer-financed tickets circulating in the week before the Games start, emotions are running high about who's been offered tickets, who said yes, who said no, and whether it's ethical - or even legal - for elected officials to accept free tickets. British Columbia's Minister of Community Development waded into the debate this week, urging municipal politicians to "err on the side of caution." Ms. Gaetz said the answer was a no-brainer; the tickets offered by the BC Lottery Corporation and B.C. Transmission were gifts. "Local officials cannot accept them," she said, arguing that the gifts contravene the B.C. Community Charter, which forbids municipal officials from accepting gifts. The exceptions to the no-gift rule are presents received as part of "protocol" or social obligations, such as the donated pen or bottle of wine presented by a visiting dignitary.

Mr. Milobar said he saw nothing wrong with accepting Olympic tickets. The BC Lotteries Corporation is based in Kamloops, he noted, and it's part of his job to promote his city's businesses. Ms. Gaetz's response has touched a nerve in British Columbia where provincial and municipal officials have been under fire for purchasing tickets at taxpayers' expense for local officials and their spouses. The city of Vancouver spent $377,000, while the province laid down almost $1-million. At least one Vancouver politician, Ellen Woodsworth, broke ranks and turned down her tickets, saying she was "appalled" at the cost.

While Ms. Gaetz said she believed the ticket offers inappropriate, the lawyer who helped draft the province's community charter, said the offers look legal. Donald Lidstone said the ticket offers can be viewed as part of doing business because the Crown corporations that offered the tickets have business relationships with the affected municipalities. However, any gifts valued at more than $250 must be declared by the politicians. Mr. Lidstone said Ms. Gaetz was right to decline the tickets offered by the BC Lottery Corporation because it had recently appeared before Chilliwack council to apply for an expanded gaming licence.

A spokesman for the BC Lottery Corporation, an official supporter of the Games, said in an e-mail statement that it offered 20 ticket invitations to "senior public representatives" in some communities where the BC Lottery Corporation operates gaming facilities. Trevor Miller would not say which municipalities were offered tickets. In the e-mail, Mr. Miller said that the Olympic ticket giveaways fall under the protocol category of the B.C. Community Charter. Jason Keenan, a spokesman for BC Transmission, said the Crown corporation offered tickets to public officials from five regional municipal associations across the province. "We see this as a great way of doing outreach and a normal way of doing business," Mr. Keenan said. BC Transmission is responsible for the transmission grid in British Columbia, delivering power to substations across the province.

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Who's in, who's out

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation sent Olympic ticket invitations to senior officials in 20 municipalities. The BCLC wouldn't divulge which municipalities received the invites, but said they were extended to "senior public representatives in some of the communities where BCLC operates gaming facilities." Using that as a guide, The Globe and Mail called the mayor's offices in several cities and towns across the province with casinos. Some, like Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd, didn't receive an Olympic ticket invitation. We didn't include Vancouver and Richmond as they are host cities and their municipal officials are expected to attend many Olympic events.

The question posed: Will you use the Olympic tickets sent to you by the BCLC?

YES

Derek Corrigan, Burnaby. Peter Fassbender, Langley. Wayne Lippert, Vernon. Peter Milobar, Kamloops.

NO

Sharon Gaetz, Chilliwack. Scott Manjak, Cranbrook. Dan Rogers, Prince George.John Ruttan, Nanaimo. Dianne Watts, Surrey.

(Coquitlam's Richard Stewart was undecided, while Dan Ashton of Penticton said he'd only go if he could pay for the tickets himself.)