A storm has been brewing in the City of Richmond for many years now. Not in the sky, but in the form of $295,000 worth of gift cards– unreconciled and seemingly lost.
The City of Richmond is now under an RCMP criminal investigation and a forensic audit in order to uncover what happened to all those gift cards.
STAFF RECOGNITION
Originally meant as a way to recognize staff, the City of Richmond has long purchased gift cards as a way to acknowledge their service in this staff appreciation program. This form of appreciation stopped in fall 2024, but a recent review discovered “inconsistencies” in the aforementioned program– quite notably with its usage of gift cards.
A reported $295,000 worth of gift cards was admitted to be irreconcilable by the City of Richmond. Meaning, the money is simply missing. No one knows where it went.
Between 2022 and 2024, the City bought $446,000 worth of gift cards, yet only $151,000 is accounted for. A forensic audit and RCMP criminal investigation is underway, although an employee has been fired in the midst of it.
LAST DECADE PURCHASES
The excessive gift card purchases stretch even further than 2022, though. Past that, they reach into 2019– the last decade.
The taxpayer-bought gift cards include places like Fairmont Hotels, Petro-Canada, Starbucks, and even Visa and Mastercard gift cards, which act as credit cards.
The investigation into the City of Richmond’s gift card scandal continues. The city has since scrapped the use of gift cards entirely.
