BC MLAs’ Public Disclosures Online Once Again for You

You can learn from the public disclosure statements for British Columbia’s MLAs that we have posted below that the software company founded by Todd Stone, a Liberal leadership contestant, had contracts with hundreds of public sector bodies in the province.

They included three agencies within the provincial government that manage pensions, all of which use meeting management software from iCompass Technologies Inc., and the company received income on “approximately 459 contracts with various school boards, universities and municipalities throughout Canada and the United States.”

Some 210 of those were in B.C., Stone’s disclosure statement says. The statement is dated Aug. 8, 2017 and became available to the public in early January.

The company, which Stone’s wife Chantelle remained a minority shareholder in according to Stone’s disclosure statement, reportedly sold recently to an investor from the United States.

Arrived at in consultation with conflict of interest commissioner Paul Fraser, the annual statements for each MLA and their families include assets, liabilities and sources of income, though they do not include dollar values. They also list any gifts an MLA may have received with a value greater than $250.

They are public documents, meant to provide transparency on the financial interests of MLAs, but they are not routinely available online. Instead, they can be had by request through the office of the clerk of the legislative assembly, something The Tyee makes a point of doing each year.

To make them more accessible, as a public service we are posting them ourselves, as we did last year.

In the disclosure documents you can learn that another BC Liberal leadership hopeful, former finance minister Mike de Jong, continues to have an ownership interest in half a dozen Abbotsford condos. Cross referencing with the BC Assessment Authority’s website, de Jong’s share in the four for which information is available gained about $90,000 in value last year.

Many of the MLAs own multiple properties. The NDP’s Spencer Chandra Herbert, who in opposition was a strong advocate for tenants, is the owner along with his spouse of an investment property on East Seventh Avenue in Vancouver. The pair are also 50 per cent owners of something described as a “recreational property” in West Vancouver and they own residences in both Vancouver and Victoria.

Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Michelle Mungall and her spouse own two investment properties in Nelson and a third in Castlegar. They also have residential properties in both Nelson and Victoria, bringing their total holdings up to five properties.

The documents also list the shares and other investments MLAs hold, some of which may be relevant to the jobs they do for the public. For example, Transportation Minister Claire Trevena and her spouse’s investment portfolio includes shares of Canadian National Railway, a company whose business is likely to come across her desk sooner or later.

Aside from their residence, Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver and his spouse own a house and a condo in Victoria as investments, plus a recreational property in Parksville.

Few MLAs claimed gifts in this year’s batch of disclosures, but former Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister John Rustad is claiming three gifts that he received some time ago, including an $800 mask given to him in 2013 and two paddles worth $500 he received in 2014.

It’s unclear why Rustad’s gifts are appearing now. According to the relevant section of the Members’ Conflict of Interest Act, MLAs are supposed to disclose such gifts “immediately” to the conflict of interest commissioner.

Following are links to the 2017 disclosures for all MLAs sitting as of this writing:

Cabinet (NDP)

HORGAN, John
Premier
Langford-Juan de Fuca

BAINS, Harry
Minister of Labour
Surrey-Newton

BEARE, Lisa
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows

CHEN, Katrina
Minister of State for Childcare
Burnaby-Lougheed

CHOW, George
Minister of State for Trade
Vancouver-Fraserview

CONROY, Katrine
Minister of Children and Family Development
Kootenay West

DARCY, Judy
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
New Westminster

DIX, Adrian
Minister of Health
Vancouver-Kingsway

DONALDSON, Doug
Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development
Stikine

EBY, David
Attorney General
Vancouver-Point Grey

FARNWORTH, Mike
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General
Port Coquitlam

FLEMING, Rob
Minister of Education
Victoria-Swan Lake

FRASER, Scott
Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
Mid Island-Pacific Rim

HEYMAN, George
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
Vancouver-Fairview

JAMES, Carole
Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier
Victoria-Beacon Hill

MARK, Melanie
Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training
Vancouver-Mount Pleasant

MUNGALL, Michelle
Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
Nelson-Creston

POPHAM, Lana
Minister of Agriculture
Saanich South

RALSTON, Bruce
Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology
Surrey-Whalley

ROBINSON, Selina
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Coquitlam-Maillardville

SIMPSON, Shane
Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction
Vancouver-Hastings

SIMS, Jinny
Minister of Citizens’ Services
Surrey-Panorama

TREVENA, Claire
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
North Island

Party in power (remaining NDP MLAs)

BEGG, Garry
Surrey-Guildford

BRAR, Jagrup
Surrey-Fleetwood

CHANDRA HERBERT, Spencer
Vancouver-West End

CHOUHAN, Raj
Burnaby-Edmonds

DEAN, Mitzi
Esquimalt-Metchosin

D'EITH, Bob
Maple Ridge-Mission

ELMORE, Mable
Vancouver-Kensington

GLUMAC, Rick
Port Moody-Coquitlam

KAHLON, Ravi
Delta North

KANG, Anne
Burnaby-Deer Lake

KROG, Leonard
Nanaimo

LEONARD, Ronna-Rae
Courtenay-Comox

MA, Bowinn
North Vancouver-Lonsdale

RICE, Jennifer
North Coast

ROUTLEDGE, Janet
Burnaby North

ROUTLEY, Doug
Nanaimo-North Cowichan

SIMONS, Nicholas
Powell River-Sunshine Coast

SINGH, Rachna
Surrey-Green Timbers

Opposition (BC Liberals)

ASHTON, Dan
Penticton

BARNETT, Donna
Cariboo-Chilcotin

BERNIER, Mike
Peace River South

BOND, Shirley
Prince George-Valemount

CADIEUX, Stephanie
Surrey South

COLEMAN, Rich
Langley East

CLOVECHOK, Doug
Columbia River-Revelstoke

DAVIES, Dan
Peace River North

de JONG, Mike
Abbotsford West

FOSTER, Eric
Vernon-Monashee

GIBSON, Simon
Abbotsford-Mission

HUNT, Marvin
Surrey-Cloverdale

ISAACS, Joan
Coquitlam-Burke Mountain

JOHAL, Jas
Richmond-Queensborough

KYLLO, Greg
Shuswap

LARSON, Linda
Boundary-Similkameen

LEE, Michael
Vancouver-Langara

LETNICK, Norm
Kelowna-Lake Country

MARTIN, John
Chilliwack

MILOBAR, Peter
Kamloops-North Thompson

MORRIS, Mike
Prince George-Mackenzie

OAKES, Coralee
Cariboo North

PATON, Ian
Delta South

POLAK, Mary
Langley

REDIES, Tracy
Surrey-White Rock

REID, Linda
Richmond South Centre

ROSS, Ellis
Skeena

RUSTAD, John
Nechako Lakes

SHYPITKA, Tom
Kootenay East

STILWELL, Michelle
Parksville-Qualicum

STONE, Todd
Kamloops-South Thompson

STURDY, Jordan
West Vancouver-Sea to Sky

SULLIVAN, Sam
Vancouver-False Creek

SULTAN, Ralph
West Vancouver-Capilano

TEGART, Jackie
Fraser-Nicola

THOMSON, Steve
Kelowna-Mission

THORNTHWAITE, Jane
North Vancouver-Seymour

THRONESS, Laurie
Chilliwack-Kent

WAT, Teresa
Richmond North Centre

WILKINSON, Andrew
Vancouver-Quilchena

YAP, John
Richmond-Steveston

Green Party

FURSTENAU, Sonia
Cowichan Valley

OLSEN, Adam
Saanich North and the Islands

WEAVER, Andrew
Oak Bay-Gordon Head

Independent

PLECAS, Darryl
Speaker Abbotsford South

Vacant

Kelowna West