Mayor Sullivan Asked for Criminal Investigation into Ethel Whitty's Alleged Fraud at Carnegie Center

Vancouver’s Mayor Sam Sullivan announced that he had picked up the phone this pre-election week to ask police to investigate a leak from a meeting about a planned City bailout of the Olympic Village developer. So a Vancouver woman figures Sullivan can pick up the phone a second time before his term ends, and call police to request an investigation into allegations of fraud against the Director of the City's Carnegie Center, Ethel Whitty, and Carnegie Security boss, Skip Everall.

Mayor Sullivan has been asked in writing to ensure that police investigate the alleged fabrication of 15 witnesses to justify banning a woman from the Carnegie Seniors Center where she regularly uses the VPL computers. Neither Whitty or Everall have been able to name these witnesses. “They don’t exist”, says the woman, who was barred because she raised her voice to tell a coffee seller who was yelling and flailing his arms at her, that she had taken his abuse for ten years and wasn’t taking it anymore.

Whitty and Everall both promised the woman, in separate taped meetings, that they would talk to a witness – the only one who has a name and a face in this case – who could corroborate the woman's claim that there were not 15 “witnesses” at the Seniors Center that day. The witness recalls there being “three or four people in there” that day and he did not see Everall talk to any of them. But neither Whitty or Everall have spoken to this witness as promised, even though he is at Carnegie every day. Five months have gone by.

Rather than speaking to this witness about what he saw that day, Everall is alleged to have attempted to influence this witness, with behaviour such as approaching him in the Carnegie Centre, putting his arm around his shoulder and saying, "OOhhhhh, [name deleted], my friend!"

This woman is one of countless non-violent people who have claimed over the years that evidence and unnamed witnesses have been concocted at Carnegie to justify banning them after a display of assertiveness or confidence. One of the most high profile cases is that of William Simpson who was delivered a letter by Whitty on City letterhead last year banning him from Carnegie Center, two weeks after he was elected to the Board.  Whitty has since been accused of fabricating a reason for the banning of Simpson during an interview on CBC Radio, a reason that was different from that provided in the letter she had delivered to him.

Taped evidence has surfaced as well that Everall is using his powers as a City Security boss for personal retaliation.

Mayor Sullivan has also been asked to ensure that Whitty ceases to act as a fundraiser until a fraud investigation is completed.

Full story at: Downtown Eastside Enquirer