Jenny Kwan in the Chinese Media

I’m curious how the Chinese newspapers are reporting on Jenny Kwan and the Portland Hotel Society (PHS) scandal, so I translate an article from the well-known Sing Tao Daily newspaper(星島日報). I quote the Chinese text from their web site.

Each paragraph or heading in Chinese is followed by my translation in English. See below.

 

賬目亂協會4高層仍獲遣散金

[2014-03-23]

Chaotic Accounting: Four Senior Executives Still Get Severance Pay

March 23, 2014

 

本報記者孫銘雪報道

By Sing Tao Reporter: Ming Lei Sun

 

省府證實  費用包含在PHS年度撥款中

Provincial government confirms expenses included in PHS annual appropriation

 

為溫市中心東端精神病及癖癮者提供廉租屋等服務的非牟利組織波特蘭酒店協會(Portland Hotel Society，簡稱PHS)，近日被審計處查出賬目及管理混亂後，又爆出辭職高層可獲發遣散費。卑詩省府周六證實，該筆費用包含在年度撥款中，但未透露金額。省府強調，新上任董事會將對未來的開銷嚴格把關。

Recently, after the auditors found confusion in the accounting and management, it broke out that the resigning executives also were entitled to severance pay in the case of the non-profit organization Portland Hotel Society (PHS), which provides low cost grade of rental housing and other services in the Downtown Vancouver Eastside. On Saturday, BC confirmed that this cost is included in the annual appropriation of funds, but the amount is not yet determined. The provincial government stressed that the newly appointed board will strictly control spending in the future.

 

包括PHS前任行政總裁湯森（Mark Townsend），以及卑詩新民主黨省議員關慧貞分居丈夫、PHS前任政策研究及經費開拓董事斯莫爾（Dan Small）在內4人，已於上周三辭職，他們將獲發遣散費，具體金額未明；該費用當初正是經由本次辭職的這批高層核准。

Former PHS CEO Mark Townsend along with former PHS director of policy, research and fund development Dan Small, the estranged husband of NDP MLA Jenny Kwan, were among four persons who had already resigned on Wednesday. They would be entitled to severance pay, the amount as yet undetermined; this cost was ratified at the time of the resignation of this management team.

 

辭職條件之一  免法律訴訟

One of the resignation conditions: no litigation

 

卑詩省衛生廳發言人傑布斯（Ryan Jabs），周六接受《星島日報》記者訪問時，確認該筆遣散費的存在，並指這筆費用已包含在PHS年度撥款中：「PHS已離職的管理層當初已通過可領取遣散費，現在他們辭職將獲發這筆錢。」他還說，新上任的過渡PHS董事會，將對機構未來開銷加強監管，確保資金有效用於服務。

During Saturday’s interview with a Sing Tao reporter, BC Health Ministry spokesperson Ryan Jabs acknowledged the existence of a sum of severance pay, and pointed out that this cost was already included in PHS’s annual appropriations: “management who are resigned from PHS, at which time is eligible for severance pay; now resigned they will be eligible for this sum of money.” He moreover said that newly appointed PHS directors will strengthen supervision of the organization’s future spending and ensure funds are effectively used for services.

 

卑詩省衛生廳長萊克（Terry Lake）之前表示，遣散費是PHS高管辭職條件之一，如此也可避免法律訴訟。他又強調，為低收入人士提供的服務，不會因這次風波而中斷。

BC Health Minister Terry Lake previously stated that one of the conditions of the PHS management resignation in order to also avoid litigation. He then stressed that the services provided for low income people will not be interrupted by this controversy.

 

暫未發現欺騙行為

Fraud not found

 

卑詩副省長、天然氣開發廳長兼專責房屋廳長高利民（Rich Coleman）周六指出，遣散費將按相關勞工標準執行。他還表示已聯絡溫市警方，如果發現欺騙行為，警方會展開刑事調查，惟目前未發現此類行為。高利民相信，PHS提供的服務，包括溫市Insite毒品安全注射中心等，未受此事影響。

BC Deputy Premier, Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing, Rich Coleman pointed out on Saturday that severance pay will be implemented with in line with labour standards. He stated Vancouver Police was already contacted. If fraud is found, the police will open a criminal investigation, only now no finding of such behaviour. Coleman believed that PHS provided services, including the kind such as the Vancouver Insite drug safe injection centre, will not be affected by this matter.

 

卑詩省府不久前公開審計報告，指屬政府資助的PHS賬目及管理混亂，包括有管理層涉嫌濫用公款。報告指斯莫爾於2012年，申領公帑攜妻子關慧貞及兩子女外遊歐美等地。

The BC government recently disclosed audit report, points to PHS accounting and management confusion, including management’s involvement in suspected misuse of public funds. The report indicates that Dan Small used public funds in 2012 to bring along his wife Jenny Kwan and two children on a foreign trip to Europe, the US and other places.

 

省議員關慧貞周五表示退還3.5萬元旅費，並暫時停薪離職。

MLA Jenny Kwan announced Friday to have repaid $35,000 travel expenses, and also took temporary leave from work.

 

前行政總裁也用公帑度假

Former CEO also uses public funded vacation

 

而上述事件僅是PHS賬目混亂的冰山一角，PHS還有其他開支被指「極不尋常」，例如一位經理級職員，報銷了5,832元歐洲豪華郵輪旅費，以及豪花917.83元贈送初生嬰兒禮物。溫警「一哥」朱小蓀更直指協會行政總裁湯森也動用公帑度假，令他非常失望。

And the above mentioned cases only are the tip of the iceberg of PHS accounting confusion. PHS has other expenses pointed out as “very unusual”, for example, one member of the managerial staff, reported spending $5,832 on a European luxury cruise, along with a large purchase of a $817.83 gift for a baby. Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu even directly pointed out that the chief executive Mark Townsend had also used public funds for vacations, which leads him to very much lose hope.

 

而對於斯莫爾妻子關慧貞受牽連，高利民未直接批評，僅表示身為反對黨省議員，關在省議會工作努力，目前也牽連其中。

And Coleman did not criticize Dan Small’s wife Jenny Kwan being implicated, just stating that her person as a member of the provincial opposition party, Kwan’s hard work in the provincial legislative assembly, currently also was implicated.

END OF TRANSLATION

Jenny Kwan to repay $34,000

I just come across a CBC news story about NDP MLA Jenny Kwan, so I am postponing my follow-up blog (Part 2) on the Chinese translation of the title of “The Chinese Immigration Act” passed by the Canadian Parliament in 1923. Earlier this year, this Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia attended a banquet of the clan association known as the Fong Leun Tong Society (鳳倫堂). Its members consist of people with surnames Sits (薛) or Setos (司徒). The membership also includes women whose original surname was one of these two surnames but had changed their surname upon marriage.

In this blog I will extract news items from the English language news media on the Portland Hotel Society (PHS Social Services Society) scandal involving the husband of the provincial member of legislature Jenny Kwan. She announces a $34,000 repayment of travel expenses initially paid out by the Portland Hotel Society.

I will quote the English text first, followed by my translation into Chinese as follows.

 

From CBC news March 21, 2014 by Mike Laanela:

NDP MLA Jenny Kwan repaying $34K for Europe, Disney trips

Portland Hotel Society, recently audited for questionable expenses, paid for Kwan’s Disneyland trip

新民主黨省議員關慧貞償還著$34,000為歐洲﹐迪斯尼樂園旅行

對可疑的費用﹐波特蘭酒店協會[PHS]最近審計。關慧貞的迪斯尼樂園旅行﹐是協會付的。

NDP MLA Jenny Kwan says she is repaying more than $34,000 in expenses for trips she and her family took to Bristol, Vienna and Disneyland that were paid for by the Portland Hotel Society.

新民主黨省議員關慧貞說她償還著以上$34,000為旅行費用。她和她家旅行到布里斯托市﹐維也納市和迪斯尼樂園。波特蘭酒店協會付旅行費用。

According to Kwan, her ex-husband Dan Small—who was forced out as PHS’s director of policy, research, and fund development—told her that he had paid for the family’s travel expenses when he took them along on a business trip to Bristol and Vienna.

照關慧貞﹐她前丈夫斯莫爾(Dan Small)生意旅行到布里斯托市和維也納市。當時他家陪伴他。對她告訴這樣﹐他付了家旅行費用了。他是以前PHS逐出為政策研究及基金發展董事。

The MLA claimed that she found out with the release of the audits that the hotel upgrade cost almost $2,700, while travel expenses for the Europe trip totalled over $32,000.

這個省議員審計以後宣稱酒店升級費幾乎$2,700及旅行歐洲費用一共以上$32,000。