(June 7, 2024) The numbers were late in being posted, but now we finally know how much it has cost for salaries, travel and other expenses for the Métis Nation British Columbia Board of Directors (MNBC) and Chief Executive Officer for the year ending March 31, 2024 – a staggering $1,785,826. The current President’s salary and reimbursements totaled $176,881 and her travel and accommodation expenses added up to $61,664.
The current Vice-President Walter Mineault who is rumored to be planning to seek the MNBC Presidency in this year’s MNBC elections and who has been travelling the province and making trips to Ottawa and New York in the past year rang up more than $55,000 in travel related expenses and incurred the highest per diems of any Board member in the history of MNBC at $11,325. His claim for per diems is up 20% year over year. Per diems are all tax free and are daily allowances when a director is away from home. Mineault’s salary and reimbursements totaled $123,816.
The cost of travel for the entire Board was $313,374 with current Region 4 Director Debra Fisher claiming the largest amount for travel at $37,396 after the current President and Vice President’s travel claims. Travel expense reimbursements are also non-taxable.
The cost of total salaries and reimbursements for this 11 member Board have risen an astounding 114% in just 3 years.
The full expenditure report is required by MNBC’s own legislation and it was legally required to have been posted by June 1st, but it wasn’t posted until June 6th. The report, according to their own legislation is also to include “…legal and professional fees, consultant and contractor fees…” but those numbers are not included in this report. Why not? Are they so high that it would be embarrassing for the Board in an election year? Failing to comply with the MNBC’s own legislation can be considered a breach of fiduciary duty and code of conduct by the Board of Directors.
BC Métis Leader Clara Morin Dal Col who is seeking the Presidency asks, “Exactly what have we as MNBC Citizens got for over a million dollars in Board salaries and reimbursements in the last year? They’ve done lots of travelling, hired hundreds more staff and spent lots of money buying properties but what have they actually done to deserve those salaries? Good question.”
Ms. Morin Dal Col, the first woman ever elected to be President of MNBC said, “And where are the costs of hiring consultants and contractors? Those numbers, which we suspect are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, are supposed to be posted. Why are they being kept secret?”
The MNBC candidate for President said, “They have the audacity to call for special governing status for MNBC following receipt of an academic report but yet they can’t even comply with their own current legislation. Why should they be given more governing power when they can’t even meet current reporting and accountability requirements to the MNBC Citizens?
Ms. Morin Dal Col said, “This group of Board members is no longer deserving to be in office. Our team is ready to take on the critical role of effective governance of MNBC.”
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(For more information about the Clara Morin Dal Col Team click on the link below):
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