Government gives its credit cards a workout

There’s nothing quite like poring through 87,527 credit card charges to the B.C. government’s plastic on a hot summer night. Totalling more than $51.3 million, this past year’s charges will go down as the alphabet pasta of financial reporting.

There were charges for $15,677 at BCCAT (B.C. Council On Admissions & Transfer), $1,628 at CATAP (Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals) and $570 at MMCDA (Master Municipal Construction Documents Association).

International Trade charged $13,585 at AVEQIA in London, England, for hosting a Taste of B.C. event.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure charged $799 at DPSSKISQUIVRSINC. May have something to do with skis, or not.

Former premier Christy’s Clark office billed $5,939 at PRMRC, which is either the Private Royal Marines Reserve Commandos or Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort in Cranbrook. Putting my money on the latter. Clark — who once called the magazine the experts on boring — finally got round to subscribing to the Economist this past year and the New York Times to boot.

Her office also charged $1,770 at Chloe Angus Design, the former premier’s fashion designer of choice in Vancouver. The bill was likely for the cost of gifts for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit last fall.

I wonder if Premier John Horgan has a favourite fashion designer?

In keeping with its mandate, the Ministry of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction charged $8,567 at annual convention.

After all, is it really necessary to know whose convention it was or is that just another layer of needless government red tape?

Five ministries charged $6,142 at FileMaker, 15 spent $21,353 at Records Management and 18 billed a paltry $138,756 with Shred-It.

The premier’s office only appears among the charges at Shred-It.

In the skies, Air Canada was the carrier of choice at $4.9 million, followed by Helijet ($1.9 million), Harbour Air ($1.6 million) and WestJet ($1 million).

Top three frequent flyers on the whirley birds were Transportation ($190,089), Education ($195,616) and Health ($400,366).

A charge of $15,400 by the Croatian Cultural Centre appears on one bill with Community, Sport, and Cultural Development.

In the fast food department, McDonald’s ($20,674) was champ, followed by Dairy Queen ($3,124), Pita Pit ($1,309), Wendy’s ($880), KFC ($417) and Burger King ($161).

But the big fave for eating on the go was pizza, with Boston Pizza out in front ($35,820), distantly followed by Domino’s ($9,974) and Panago ($7,084).

Tim Horton’s ($63,581) beat out Starbucks ($21,119) in the coffee wars.

If you’re ever in need of a Crown prosecutor, you might want to poke your head in at Earl’s on Hornby in Vancouver. The ministry charged $14,686 at the restaurant.

Would have thought the Ministry of Natural Gas Development would have opted for gas, but instead charged $284 at Candlelight Catering.

Restaurants in Kamloops were popular at Transportation, including Flavours of India ($1,005), Senor Froggy Restaurant ($1,358), Spice of India ($1,833) and Dorian Greek House ($5,436).

Various ministries charged $11,270 at Double Tree by Hilton, Four Points by Sheraton ($12,984) and Four Seasons Hotel ($108,590), $87,310 of which was charged at the Four Seasons in Seoul, South Korea.

Health charged $150 at Dietitians Canada and $1,385 at Cakes Etc.

Toastmasters ($3,363) remained popular at Finance.

Environment charged $140 at Go Fresh, $637 at GoPro and $1,191 at GoDaddy.

Fitness was big in 2016/17 with more than $148,000 in charges at various equipment suppliers, including 11 ministries charging $95,953 at Fitter First.

Bringing new meaning to papering the house, 16 ministries and the Public Service Agency were dinged $80,799 by last year’s #BCTECH Summit, mostly for registration fees.

Reboot Communications charged various ministries $160,755 for its conferences.

The government charged $5,446 at Canadian Dam Association, while Environment charged $162 at Dam Beaver Trapping Supplies. Different kind of dams, I believe.

One savings to the government from removing tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ear bridges will be the $92,194 in charges slapped on government credit cards for crossing the bridges.

Four ministries resorted to plastic to pay BC Hydro bills ($2,655).

And who knew Ernst & Young took Mastercard? More importantly, who would have thought the Ministry of Finance might not be good for the $3,160 bill?

Then again after the B.C. Hydro charges, maybe they know something we don’t.

Dermod Travis is the executive director of IntegrityBC.