An email circulating through Burnaby city hall implicates city officials in an effort to skew the results of an online poll about whether or not the city should reward city officials and volunteers with free golf passes.
The email, apparently started by Coun. Colleen Jordan, is in response to an online column in 24 hours – a daily community newspaper – about the nearly $42,000 worth of golf played by city officials last year, with a poll at the end asking readers to vote yay or nay for free golf. As of press time, the poll was 63 per cent in favour of free golf, with 484 votes to 290.
“OK, so the golf thing hasn’t quite gone away,” wrote Jordan in an email dated Oct. 18, who racked up $4674.20 between Riverway and Burnaby Mountain in 2013. “24 had this editorial with a poll, should politicians get free golf? Guess what, yes they should is winning. Vote now!”
The email chain also has comments from parks commissioner Wayne Peppard – who spent the most last year on golf at $7,898.24 – as well as Coun. Paul McDonell and Burnaby Citizens Association school board candidate Katrina Chen.
“My husband saw this and got around 60-70 people to vote. Keep going!” wrote Chen.
“Yes pulling ahead. Keep it going,” added Peppard.
Coun. McDonell, whose 2013 golf season cost taxpayers $2,633.40, simply wrote, “Vote yes.”
Reached by phone Thursday morning, Coun. Jordan confirmed the email’s existence, but said she didn’t remember if she started it.
“I guess I was telling people they should vote,” she said. “I just said, ‘People, this is going on. Vote, say what you think,’ because a lot of people think it’s blown out of proportion.”
The email was sent to all city councillors and school trustees, along with BCA president Gord Larkin, parks commissioner Lee Loftus ($2,677.89) and Burnaby—New Westminster NDP MP Peter Julian. Independent mayoral candidate Allen Hutton is also on the list.
However, Jordan said she only sent it to her colleagues, though she did not specify who those recipients were.
“Somebody else could’ve forwarded my email to somebody else. I just sent it to my colleagues,” she said. “Just my personal list, which is personal.”
Read the series of emails below. Personal emails and phone numbers have been removed.
