Taxpayers may be on the hook for B.C. United employees' severance

Taxpayers could be bailing out B.C. United for upwards of a million dollars for the severance owed to 25 of the party's caucus employees who are about to lose their jobs.

The Official Opposition party brought the request to the Legislative Assembly Management Committee (LAMC) on Monday because it doesn't have enough money to cover the severances.

A motion to "authorize" and "facilitate" the severance packages was passed by the committee after in-camera discussion. Committee member and government House leader Ravi Kahlon told CBC News the price tag will be over a million dollars.

On Aug. 28, provincial politics were turned upside down when B.C. United leader Kevin Falcon announced he was suspending his party's election campaign to throw his support behind John Rustad and the B.C. Conservatives.

LAMC and Green Party member Adam Olsen said whatever money is left in B.C. United caucus and non-returning MLA constituency coffers will be used for the severances first. Only then will additional dollars from the legislative assembly budget kick in.

"This was [LAMC] doing our business and this was us recognizing that all this funding comes from the legislature anyway," said Olsen. "This is something Kevin Falcon probably should have dealt with before shutting down operations." 

Kahlon said he voted in favour of the severance motion, but said it was "shameful" B.C. United staff had been "left hanging to dry." 

"When John Rustad and Kevin Falcon were sitting downtown at the Wall Centre negotiating power agreements, no consideration was made by them about their workers, the people serving British Columbia working for [B.C. United] in the legislature," said Kahlon.

"I think it raises the question, where did the money go?"

According to Kahlon, some of the B.C. United staffers who will be owed severance have served for 20-plus years.

Caucuses and caucus staff receive public funding from the B.C. Legislative Assembly based on the number of party MLAs elected. 

B.C. United will remain the Official Opposition until Sept. 21, when the writ is dropped in advance of the Oct. 19 provincial election.