This raises even more serious questions about what was happening inside Richmond City Hall. We now have a former employee alleging there was an “ad hoc” policy for distributing gift cards, while the City alleges serious misconduct. Meanwhile, approximately $295,000 in gift cards were left unreconciled, a forensic audit was launched, and the matter was referred to the RCMP. These competing allegations will ultimately have to be tested through the legal process. But Richmond taxpayers shouldn't have to wait for a courtroom to get answers about the City's internal controls. How was a system involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in gift cards allowed to operate without proper reconciliation and oversight? Richmond residents deserve transparency, accountability and a full explanation of how this happened, and what is being done to ensure it can never happen again.