Exclusive! Relocation Expenses Revealed - Why did it Take SO Long?

For over a year, Nicole Frey has been trying to get the information that the public is entitled to. Ms Frey told The Owl that she was contacted by Whistleblowers directly which led her to file these FOIP requests. Frey has said that she has spoken with certain council members about the Whistleblower policy coming forward, she said she wants to ensure there is maximum protection for them.

This article is about one FOIP request  - the relocation expenses for some top staff - to whit

Former City Manager Ann Mitchell

Director of People Services (aka Human resources) Karla Kochan

Former Associate Director of People Services April Jones

For over a year, the city has been fighting the release of this critical information. The OIPC (Office of Information and Privacy Commissioner) even issued no less than 5 orders to the City to comply with 5 FOIP requests last December. The City was recently found in violation of not complying within the allotted time span.

Updated (Again) - Exclusive! City In Violation Of Five OIPC Orders

Frey shared the FOIP release with The Owl. We are very grateful to Ms Frey!

Here’s what we found out

The information came with no names attached for privacy reasons but they included dates and locations, allowing the Owl to extrapolate which expenses belonged to which person. 

After reading the 96 pages, The Owl was left wondering - what was the big deal? Why did the city fight so hard about this that it actually took an order from the OIPC to get the deets?

Sure, there are some receipts that are a bit laughable, perhaps even embarrassing. A $200 dinner for two at the Keg (food only) plus a $100 tip before they even started employment would normally not be an issue. Many companies might say - sure, send in the receipt but we will only reimburse up to $X per meal, you pay for the overage yourself. (Spoiler - the City did not say that.)

The relocation allowances were very generous by all appearances to those of us who are lucky to get a Tim’s gift card as a Christmas bonus but these are standard benefits for executive positions.

Mitchell and Kochan both rented U-hauls instead of hiring a moving company, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars. They both came in well under their relocation allowances; Kochan spent well under half of what she was allotted. 

Jones did hire a moving company but she was moving from the Okanagan. It is a reasonable expense given the distance - it’s about 9 hours in each direction. When you factor in the realtor fees for selling a property, she did max out her relocation allowance.

That is not Jone’s fault if she was able to negotiate that deal. The City alone is responsible for how they hire employees, where they hire them from and what benefits are offered. All too often employees get demonized for spending but the City sets the parameters.

Relocation expense breakdown per employee

The documents indicate that relocation expenses are equivalent to one month’s salary. Jones seems to be an analomy but she was moving from much farther away.

Mitchell allowed $35k, spent under $18,500

Kochan allowed $25k, spent under $12,000

Jones allowed $35k, maxed out. The City did not reimburse anything over the $35k.

Relocation Expenses Mitchell Kochan Jones.pdf

The real issue is how much money The City spent
in regards to this FOIP request

When the requestor files a complaint with the OIPC, someone from the City must justify their decision on what to release. Given the fact that the OIPC issued not one, not two, but FIVE orders to comply, means that a lot of staff time was wasted on trying to stop the release of FOIPable information.

Time is Money

The city’s FOIP/ATIA department has wasted a LOT in fighting the release of information since 2023. Multiple Requests to Disregard which the OIPC quashed, delay after delay after delay, multiple Requests for Review filed with the OIPC wasted many dollars. There is only one taxpayer. The OIPC is paid from a different source but it is still all taxpayer dollars.

Taxpayers are entitled to see how their money is spent - within reason. Current negotiations must be kept confidential until the deal is done but employee expenses of top staff are fair game. (Junior staff are typically held to different standards, there tends to be more checks / balances.)

An expensive dinner at the Keg might not seem like a legitimate moving expense but when weighed against the fact that moving bill could have been thousands of dollars much higher if they’d hired a moving company, it seems like a reasonable tradeoff for a desired hire.

Some of the receipts seem petty but if that is what the City allows, then it is on the City to adjust their policies. Ann Mitchell was later fired, The Owl has not been able to confirm the current employment status of Ms Jones.

More to come, we have the cellphone records too!