Organizers of Ottawa’s Capital Pride festival say they are investigating “accounting irregularities” amid allegations by two suppliers and a DJ that their cheques have bounced and that they haven’t been paid for their services.

Guillaume Tasse said he has been given the runaround by festival organizers since he went to collect $42,000 he said he was owed after last month’s festival. Tasse isn’t alone. Sebastien Provost, the executive producer and president of production company House of SAS, said he’s out about $24,000 after he bought liquor for the festival only to later be told by his bank the cheque he received was no good.

Montreal DJ Stephan Grondin said he, too, is owed thousands of dollars after his bank told him the cheque he received from the festival didn’t clear.

Provost and Tasse said they have both filed complaints with Ottawa police.

Organizers for the Capital Pride festival weren’t talking Thursday, but in a short news release they said they were investigating “accounting irregularities that have come to light upon review of its post-festival finances” and said a police investigation “may be pending.”

Tasse said his attempts to collect on a bill for providing a stage, tents, toilets, tables, chairs and other infrastructure have not been successful. He initially approached Capital Pride festival’s treasurer, Giselle Gardipy, he said, but a meeting they set for Monday, Aug. 25, did not take place.

Tasse said he was told by board members that Gardipy was in hospital but that they had no other details.

The Citizen’s attempts to reach Gardipy, who was the first aboriginal person to win the title of Miss Gay Ottawa in 2005 and Queen of Capital Pride in 2006, were unsuccessful Thursday. Gardipy’s given name is Daryle.

Tasse said the chair of Capital Pride’s board of directors subsequently told him the board would have no further contact with him. Tasse said he and the other supplier have made continued attempts to contact the board to no avail. Tasse alleges that the $10,000 deposit cheque he was provided has bounced.

Production manager Provost said he deposited the nearly $24,000 cheque from the festival into his own account before buying the alcohol for the festival weekend. It wasn’t until the following Wednesday that he learned his account was overdrawn by about $15,000 because the cheque never cleared.

“I’m devastated and I’m broke,” said Provost, who said he volunteered his time to run the production and used his connections to book the performers.

Provost said he last spoke with Capital Pride’s treasurer on Aug. 26.

“We sent multiple emails, we tried calling them for multiple days after that, and there was no answer. No one returned our email,” said Tasse.

Montreal DJ Grondin said he, too, has had a hard time getting answers.

“Right now at the Capital Pride you can’t leave a message because the voice mail box is full,” he said.

Provost, who himself once chaired the Capital Pride board of directors, said he fears the situation may have undone all the good accomplished by this year’s festival. Organizers said 110,000 people came to Bank Street to see this year’s parade.

Tasse and Provost both said they offered to work with festival organizers if they were facing financial problems.

“We can talk. We can figure it out,” Tasse said he offered. “That was ignored completely.”

“I feel betrayed because we tried to help that event and support them. I gave them a $10,000 sponsorship,” said Tasse.

In their news release Thursday, Capital Pride organizers vowed to “continue to uphold its transparency with the LGBT community and its allies as details surrounding this situation emerge.”

Capital Pride chair Jodie McNamara declined an interview request, citing the advice of their lawyer. Assistant treasurer Stephanie Lavergne also declined to answer questions about the suppliers. Board secretary Rob Swartz wouldn’t comment.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jim Watson was not available Thursday evening to comment on the issue, but his spokesman, Brook Simpson, said the mayor was “disappointed to see that there have since been alleged issues related to payment and hopes that all parties involved can come to an amicable agreement quickly.”

aseymour@ottawacitizen.com

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