Who says governments never listen? The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) recently discovered that your tax dollars had been used for years to give bonuses to employees at government funded child care agencies for simply showing up for work. Through our whistle-blowing and government action these unjustifiable bonuses have been discontinued for 2009.
After receiving a tip that both watches and bonus cheques were being handed-out to employees at the Southeast Child and Family Services agency, the CTF investigated and learned that in fact, over $68,740 worth of bonus cheques and gifts were handed out between 2005 and 2007.
It seemed the bonus cheques had been distributed for years as a way of recognizing overtime put in by the agency’s staff. Unfortunately, overtime work wasn’t recorded anywhere and the funds weren’t based on performance measures. Further, child care workers that do the same work directly within the government weren’t offered the same bonus structure.
While the CTF can support the notion of providing bonuses to government employees when an overall savings is delivered for taxpayers, such was not the case in this instance.
When the CTF met with provincial Family Services Minister Gord Mackintosh, we learned that the Southeast agency discontinued the bonuses for 2008. However, as a result of the CTF stirring up this issue, the government discovered that the Peguis Child and Family Services agency and the Intertribal Child and Family Services agency had also been handing out bonuses for which there were no clear performance measures.
Thankfully Minister Mackintosh committed to stop the unjustifiable bonuses. In fact, this is the second time that Minister Mackintosh has taken action when the CTF brought a matter to his attention.
Last September, the CTF met with Minister Mackintosh to discuss a discovery that tax dollars were used to provide manicures, pedicures and tarot card readings to employees at a government funded child care agency. Minister Mackintosh acted on the matter and directed the agency to repay the funds used inappropriately. Since that time, all of the tax dollars have been repaid.
Although the government made changes in 2003 that helped improve the accountability of these agencies (which are funded by both the federal and the provincial government), there have been other instances of tax dollars being wasted.
Few have forgotten the discover in 2007 that the Cree Nation Child and Family Services Caring agency had spent $72,000 to take staff on a retreat to Niagara Falls and $30,000 to buy a van for the CEO. Not surprisingly, the agency ran a $374,567 deficit that year.
More recently, it was discovered that employees at the Anishinaabe Child and Family Services agency went to Reno, Nevada for a “professional development” conference this past April. With over 20 government funded child care agencies in the province, you would think they could get together here in Manitoba to share best practices.
When you consider all of these problems, it all adds up to a system that appears to need more checks and balances. At least we’re making some progress, and these agencies know there’s others watching how they spend taxpayer dollars.