Province of B.C. & Ben Stewart Spend $3M/YR

In October of 2013, Ben Stewart was appointed as British Columbia Special Representative for Asia (“BCSRA”). This special appointment was the first of its kind for British Columbia’s Government.

Considering Mr. Stewart’s lack of experience of doing business in Asia, this appointment certainly raises notable concerns that are worth exploring. A closer look at key events prior to his appointment suggests a carefully orchestrated political maneuver occurred between Stewart and the current Premier, Christy Clark.

In our report, we explore the cost to B.C. taxpayers for placing Mr. Stewart in this role and the ongoing expense of maintaining staffed offices China. We also explore whether there has been any economic benefit of creating the BCSRA position, based on documents obtained through the Open Information Catalogue and Freedom of Information Act.

Based on our research it appears the provincial government is unnecessarily spending millions of tax payer dollars to maintain a trade office in Beijing, with no clear benefit for the citizens of the province. This begs us to question what else is the province of British Columbia recklessly spending tax payer money on?

Read the full report here.

Note: Andrew's report has been featured in the media since this blog post was published.

National Observer on April 28, 2017. Read the online article here. 

The Tyee on April 28, 2017. Read the online article here.