The 2014 Commonwealth Games Committee

First what were they? In reality they were a government organization. They were financed almost 100% by the three levels of governments. They came into being at the request of HRM, reported to HRM and needed HRM’s approval to continue. As well HRM was the only signatory backing and guaranteeing the deal. They can be considered nothing else but an agency of the HRM council. Therefore they are a government agency and should be open to full public. scrutiny.

We were told that they had $450,000 in donations from private companies. This was not true the donations were, for the most part, “in kind” services, facilities, office furniture and other such needed items either donated or given for use at reduced costs. Even this vanished later on as I will show. Despite the fact that those in the know knew these donations were not actual cash Mayor Kelly told me, when he was on the Hot Line Show, that this money would pay for the 27 person junket to Melbourne. He was wrong on two counts the junket cost more than this ($733,000) and there was never $450,000 in cash to start with so who paid for this junket?

Suddenly when the plug was finally pulled on this financial black hole the “in kind” donations did a vanishing act. The people involved said oops they were supposed to be full price and or leased and, in many cases, the same people who profited from this error were directly involved with the board who said, that’s OK well just write you checks to cover it all and drain every cent from the bid coffers.

Documents were finally turned over to the Coast Magazine but names on checks were removed. Who got paid what? Were any of the numerous Civil and Municipal employees double dipping? Drawing their salary and a salary from the games coffers? What about tax fraud? Did they claim these donations, that were not donations, on their tax returns?

Again, many of those who profited were members of that very committee as were many who profited when the in kind donation rule was changed. The examples of conflict of interest are rampant throughout this deal from start to finish.

Money went from the bid committee’s coffers to at least three of the civic organizations Fred MacGillivary was involved in yet, despite that we has one of the head men in each section, he says knows nothing about it.

Again, private business would never be allowed to operate like this therefore neither the 2014 Commonwealth Games Committee. I would like to see a full independent audit done on the 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid Committee’s books and all the results made public and charges of fraud or misappropriation of funds charges laid if and where warranted.

To see even more questionable spending read the full article from the Coast by Tim Bousquet at http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/Home