July 4, 2025
RED FM News Desk
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Vancouver City Hall is undergoing significant changes as it addresses allegations of corruption, stemming from what the city’s Auditor General has characterized as an “ongoing, undocumented, and unmitigated conflict of interest.” The move comes as officials grapple with claims that have cast a shadow over internal operations.
In May 2024, a whistleblower complaint emerged, alleging that a city building inspector provided preferential treatment to certain companies, including one that the inspector personally owned.
Auditor General Mike Macdonell stated that he found evidence supporting these claims and confirmed the city’s awareness of the situation. City staff informed Macdonell they had halted the practice and ordered the inspections to be redone.
However, Macdonell noted a significant oversight: “In the system, there was no record of that. There’s no record of the conversations, there’s no record of reinspection. And then three years later, it happened again.” He added, “Whatever precautions may have been agreed to weren’t actually working. When you see examples like this, it doesn’t support trust in the institutions of government and the effectiveness of what’s being done.”
The complaint also included allegations that the inspector accepted bribes. While Macdonell did not find evidence to substantiate these specific claims, he is forwarding those allegations to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) for further investigation. Neither the inspector nor their company has been named publicly.
The Auditor General’s report also contains a host of other allegations that Macdonell could only partially substantiate.
In response to his findings, Macdonell made 19 recommendations aimed at strengthening the monitoring of conflicts of interest. Vancouver City Council unanimously voted to accept these recommendations, and the city has affirmed its commitment to implementing them.
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