Achi news desk-
One of the BC government’s most recognizable programs is facing scrutiny, amid concerns about potential conflicts of interest in the administration of provincial grants.
The opposition parties are calling for an investigation into the Buy BC program, an initiative that is supposed to help promote local agricultural products.
The grant program is administered by a Canadian accounting firm, MNP, while at the same time providing consulting services for the program’s three main recipients.
Documents obtained through freedom of information show BC Winegrowers received $75,000, the BC Chicken Marketing Board received almost $66,000 and BC Food and Beverage received just over $45,000 in grants.
“This government has set some pretty loose policies around grant programmes. This is our money and British Columbians want to know it’s going to the right people,” said BC Green Party House Leader Adam Olsen.
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“What kind of safeguards does the government put in place with these contracts and what kind of oversight do they provide?” added BC United Finance Critic Peter Milobar.
“We need some clarity and certainty about the process of what is actually happening.”
Faced with opposition pressure, the BC NDP government ordered the province’s auditor general to review another grant program with MNP’s contribution.
The company is facing allegations that it provided grant writing services for the CleanBC program while administering the program at the same time.
MNP claims it did nothing wrong, and has firewalls in place to keep the two sides of the company separate.
“MNP policies and procedures prohibit employees from providing grant writing services for any program we administer. Our program administration work on behalf of BuyBC is no different,” the company said in a statement.
But experts say the controversy points to the dangers governments face when contracting this type of work.
“I would encourage governments to bring as much of that as they can in-house because it certainly removes some of that conflict with big companies trying to be all things to all people,” said UBC political scientist Gerald Baier .
“They can staff them on a more temporary basis, they can do limited contracts with individuals, they can build a small team,” he added. “And probably cheaper.”
The province has said it is supportive if the auditor general’s investigation includes more than just the CleanBC program.
That investigation could proceed in two stages, first looking at the concerns about the clean technology grants, and then a wider review of how the government administers and provides grants.
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
