The Twitter and Facebook director for Ontario Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne was paid by Vancouver taxpayers to produce graphics in celebration of Mayor Gregor Robertson’s third swearing-in last December.
Cole Davidson, Wynne’s special assistant for digital media, confirmed that he invoiced $600 for freelance work. The transaction was dated Dec. 9, 2014 and posted Dec. 20, 2014, according to Robertson’s 2014 discretionary spending records, released under Freedom of Information after a Courier request.
“His work on social media engagement and infographic design was recommended to us by a variety of people, and was especially helpful on the engagement surrounding the Mayor’s inauguration,” said Braeden Caley, Robertson’s communications director.
Robertson and his staff spent $129,346.11 of public money on expenses deemed discretionary last year. The total was $15,000 greater than 2013, but the $93,815 spent on consultants was up by more than $42,000.
Seven of the consulting transactions, worth $75,715, were dated Dec. 31, 2014 and mainly involved payments to veterans of November’s Vision Vancouver re-election campaign.
Civil Communications and WPM Public Affairs were paid $15,000 each. Civil’s proprietor is Brenton Walters, the BetterTransit.info Yes campaign website registrant, and the payment was for transit referendum-related strategic communications and research.
WPM was paid for strategic communications planning. Its proprietor is Marcella Munro, Vision’s campaign communications director and a contractor with the TransLink Mayors’ Council. Vision campaign digital coordinator Dan Pollock’s Theorem.ca Consulting got $12,000 for website development.
Mark Vonesch, director of the Tides Canada-funded Reel Youth, received $10,000 for video production services and Vision photographer Joshua Berson was paid $7,140 for “location photography for Jan. 1-June 30, 2015.” Berson was also paid almost $6,000 for four days of photo opportunities in 2013.
Also receiving a consulting contract extension worth $14,250 was Oglov Business Development, which was paid almost $296,000 in no-bid contracts between 2010 and 2013 after being added to a preferred suppliers’ list.
The 2014 reports also show that $3,000 was spent for “Chinese language support” and $350 on Mandarin language tutoring. The contractors were also not identified. One expense was censored, because city hall deemed it personal.
Other expense categories and totals included: Travel and training ($13,053.88), supply and services ($11,545.58), local transportation ($4,672.95), meeting expenses ($4,579.29) and advertising in the Pride Guide ($1,282.20).
Between November 2011 and December 2014, the Mayor’s office spent more than $384,000 through the discretionary budget, including more than $233,000 on consultants.
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