Thanksgiving Day is a time to take stock of all the good fortune that our families, friends and nation bestow upon us. It should be a day of celebration
It's strange then that The Toronto Star, chose this day to front-page a story about one of the scoundrels in our midst. This report that the CEO of the Oshawa Hospital Foundation has been awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts to himself, despite his $200,000 salary is a sad read on what should be a festive day. Kudos to the Star, nevertheless, for its ongoing pursuit of malfeasance in the charity sector.
Hospital foundations have long been a problem in Ontario; hospitals had a habit of syphoning operating funds provided by the province to their foundations and then declaring a deficit and appealing for more money from the government. The health ministry fought a long and difficult battle to get access to the financial records which could expose and curb this practice.
Hospital sponsored lotteries attempt to disguise the stench of gambling with the perfume of charitable work. It doesn't work. Like other lotteries, they prey on those whose fantasies are their only connection to wealth and on those addicted to gambling. They violate, with impunity, the cardinal rule of medicine, "do no harm". Yet many hospital foundations depend and thrive on lotteries. There is no explanation for the contradiction short of avarice.
And now we have a key proponent of just one such lottery caught with his fingers in the cookie jar, drawing a huge salary at the same time as he is contracting out the work to his own company, travelling in luxury on the foundation's tab and thinking it's perfectly alright. More alarming though is that at least one member of the foundation board thinks it's OK. As for awarding fundraising silent auction prizes to himself and never paying, well that's one that should be turned over to the police.
"The Oshawa Hospital Foundation's chief executive officer is using his own company to run fundraising events for the foundation, including lotteries and gala concerts.
Jim Szeman, the supercharged, quick-talking boss of the foundation, said his company Uncommon Results — registered in British Columbia but doing work in Oshawa — provides great service for the foundation he runs. No competitive process was used to hire his company.
Records show the foundation has paid Szeman's firm at least $307,000 since 2005 for managing the annual Cash for Cancer Mega Lottery and for work on a yearly fundraising gala.
In addition, the foundation pays for any expenses Szeman has, such as lottery gift buying trips to California and New York. The foundation money paid to Uncommon Results is on top of what it pays Szeman as its CEO: a $200,000 salary, $14,400 annual car allowance and a gym membership."
link: Charity boss hires own firm to fundraise - thestar.com
Can we expect to see an announcement that the Oshawa Hospital Foundation has dismissed Szeman and called in the police to investigate misappropriated funds and prizes? I doubt it.
But we can be thankful the blight has been exposed.
