Travel anywhere crowds form and tourists are warned to watch for pickpockets.
Skilled in the art of lifting a wallet or snatching a purse, these petty thieves don’t just take what isn’t theirs, they wreak havoc on travel plans for unsuspecting victims. Try doing anything without ID or credit cards – it is virtually impossible.
The pickpocket, however, is not just a far-flung vocation – it’s happening in board rooms, at committee meetings and in the corridors of power. Reasons vary from need to outright greed, but somehow age-old conventions have been turned on their head and theft has been rationalized as just the way it is. A course correction is needed.
The province of Ontario recently stepped in to manage the Real Estate Council of Ontario. That body was in charge of overseeing brokerages and their handling of trust funds. In a recent well-known case, funds had disappeared at i-Pro Realty, causing hardship for agents and homeowners. The firm is now insolvent and the search continues to find out where the missing $10 million dollars went.
Years back, a local lawyer had some similar problems where clients’ funds were misappropriated. A neighbour of ours who lived a meagre lifestyle to begin with was rendered far worse off when much of his savings were effectively stolen. It is inexcusable for funds held on behalf of others to be repurposed for other uses.
Key to these two examples is a five-letter word that we fear is becoming a casualty in this new age: trust.
In many cases the personal habits and lifestyles of directors, particularly those living large, forces a temptation to “borrow” a little bit here and there. But the act of borrowing requires an agreement and terms, whereas these dalliances into a trust account are really theft, even if for a moment. Trust fund accounts are sacred.
That obvious misuse of resources shows up as well, albeit more nuanced, when processes and actions of public enterprises and institutions become corrupt. Although some funds may appear in a trust capacity, the difference here is trust as a critical element of decision making. Trust mirrors honesty.
Take for example, hiring friends or steering business to associates. The days of the Family Compact and Chateau Clique were synonymous with cronyism and nepotism. When public institutions, non-profit organizations or governments fail to adequately protect against non-transparent conduct, corruption grows.
Premier Doug Ford’s Ontario government has had its share of eye-popping situations, as has current Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown with his wife’s development business activities in Peel Region. Even claims against Prime Minister Mark Carney and his investments with Brookfield raise eyebrows. The public is not wrong to demand that leaders lead by example and be seen to be honourable.
Predictably, dubious activity and blurred lines suggest to an otherwise fair and honest public that tried and tested rules are malleable. It is the wrong message, and we have witnessed some organizations testing the limits of good governance.
Pickpockets come in many forms – remember that.
