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Park board accused of playing Grinch with staff

Community centre staff forced to return prizes while general manager wins motorcycle

A community centre association is accusing the park board of a double standard after prizes the association gave to park board staff were ordered returned by the city.

Keith Jacobson, treasurer and former president of the Killarney Community Centre Association, said park board staff who won prizes at Killarney’s Christmas party were told by their park board superiors to return them. If they had opened a box of chocolates they had to buy a new box, and if they had spent money on gift cards they had to top up the original value, Jacobson told the Courier.

Jacobson said that for the past 30 years the society has given small gifts to the volunteers and park board staff it works with. This year the association was told it could not give gifts to park board staff.

An email statement from the City of Vancouver said the code of conduct states staff must not accept a gift that is intended to influence a staff person’s performance of their official duties. Staff may only accept a gift if it has a value of $50 or less and is received if they are in an official capacity such as at a speaking engagement.

“In keeping with this policy, park board staff attending a community centre association holiday party are expected to buy their ticket and if offered a gift from an association, they are expected to return it,” the statement said.
Jesse Johl, president of the Riley Park Hillcrest community association, said Hillcrest and other community centre associations were given the same message.

Ainslie Kwan, president of the Killarney Community Centre Association, said she consulted with the park board and was told that if it held a raffle at its Christmas party staff would be allowed to win a prize. But after the party, park board staff were ordered to return their prizes. Kwan said the explanation she received from the park board was that it “wasn’t truly a raffle” because every staff member won a prize.

“It’s unfortunate. We went into this in good faith, believing that what we were doing was following the park board’s policy,” Kwan said. “It’s incredibly disappointing to me.”
An unattributed email statement from the City of Vancouver said the code of conduct for acceptance of gifts by employees was changed two years ago and no confusion was intended. “The issue at Killarney was a matter of uncertainty on the part of the Association regarding the City’s policy,” it stated.

Kwan and Jacobson said they are upset because some park board management staff received large prizes at a City of Vancouver United Way campaign event Dec. 9. Malcolm Bromley, park board general manager, won a VPD Harley Davidson Road King Motorcycle. Some of the other prizes included green fees, $100 gift cards to various restaurants, vacation days, and a four-pack of Giants hockey tickets.

According to the email, the Harley motorcycle was previously used by the VPD as an in-service vehicle and was at the end of its life. “It was donated by the City for the charitable cause and selected in a draw from those City employees who had made a pledge to this year’s fundraising.”

A voice message requesting more information left with Vision Vancouver park board chair Niki Sharma was not returned by the Courier’s press deadline.

Kwan and Jacobson both said the city’s response is a “double standard.”

“How hypocritical of him keeping a $15,000 motorcycle and denying a part-time worker a gift. I say he’s a Harley-riding Grinch that stole Christmas from the workers,” Jacobson said.

Stewart de Jordan, a former park board manager who is working as a consultant in the lawsuit between the park board and six community centre associations, said the gift policy is a form of “bullying.”

“The park board is trying to divide the loyalties [of] the staff,” he said.

The Killarney Community Centre Association is one of six community associations involved in legal action against the park board over an alleged breach of agreement of the joint operating agreement.

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