The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is demanding answers from the B.C. government after records showed provincial ministries charged more than $104,000 at Fairmont hotels over two years, including more than $50,000 at properties outside the government's approved accommodation list.Government purchase-card disclosures show ministries spent $104,260 at six Fairmont properties between April 2024 and March 2026, according to the taxpayers group. The figures account for refunds and reversals.“Taxpayers deserve to know why politicians and bureaucrats are running up six-figure tabs at luxury hotels while hiking taxes and borrowing billions,” said Carson Binda, B.C. director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.“If the government is serious about saving money, telling bureaucrats not to book luxury hotels would be a good place to start.”The largest amount, $36,382, was charged at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, followed by $30,577 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and $23,499 at the Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver.Government cards were also used for $7,032 at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, $5,744 at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and $1,026 at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver.Deputy Premier Niki Sharma's Ministry of Attorney General accounted for the largest share of the spending at $45,908, according to the federation. Of that amount, $31,615 was charged at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport in Richmond.The provincial government's Business Travel Accommodation Listing includes 366 B.C. hotels that have bid to offer government rates.Provincial travel policy directs bureaucrats travelling within B.C. to use hotels on the list and requires pre-authorization when accommodation exceeds established rates.Only two of the six Fairmont hotels identified in the purchase-card records — the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver — appear on the approved list, according to the taxpayers group.The Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Fairmont Empress, Fairmont Chateau Whistler and Fairmont Pacific Rim are not listed. Ministries nevertheless charged a combined $50,184 at those four properties.“The provincial government built an approved hotel list so taxpayers wouldn’t be stuck paying for luxury, but ministers like Sharma keep letting their staff go around it,” said Binda.“British Columbians dreading the sales tax hike Oct. 1 don’t want to be covering rooms at the Empress and Chateau Whistler.”.The two Fairmont properties included on the government's approved list have October 2026 rates of $267 per night, tying them for the eighth-highest government rates in B.C., according to the federation. The median approved rate is $149.The federation said cheaper approved accommodation was available in each of the communities where the Fairmont spending occurred.Fifteen approved hotels near Vancouver International Airport list government rates ranging from $163 to $259 per night, while 34 approved hotels in Victoria have rates topping out at $219.In Whistler, the government's accommodation list identifies the Pinnacle Hotel Whistler at $149 per night.Binda said the spending raises questions as the province faces mounting financial pressures and claims to be searching for savings.“We’re facing the worst finances in our provincial history and spending like this shows just how out-of-touch the Eby government is,” he said.“This provincial government keeps promising it’s looking for savings while handing taxpayers luxury hotel bills.”The federation is calling on the province to release detailed invoices showing what was purchased with the government cards.“The province must release a transaction level invoice so taxpayers can see exactly how our money was spent at these luxury hotels,” said Binda.
