The CEO of the Horizon Health Network says he made what he calls a "dumb mistake" when he bought 10 tickets to a New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party fundraising dinner.
Donn Peters, who spoke for the first time Wednesday about the controversy, said he doesn't remember who contacted his office to sell him 10-$500 tickets to the Saint John event billed as “An Evening with Premier David Alward.”
And Peters said he didn't realize until he arrived at the dinner that it was a political fundraiser.
“I just assumed it was a business event hosting the premier in Saint John,” said Peters.
“I made the mistake of not asking what the funds were going to. That went through me. I made that decision and wrongly.”
Peters said it didn't occur to him to seek a refund.
"We paid for the event, we attended the event. When I realized it was a political event, I knew in my own mind that I'd never do that again, but I never thought about going back and saying, 'Give me my money back.' No, I never thought that, to be honest with you."
The PC Party has vowed to be clearer about future fundraisers for the party after the recent incident involving Horizon and returned the money to Horizon last week after CBC first reported on it.
The Tories have also returned another political donation paid by WorkSafeNB, which bought a $500 ticket to the event.
Peters said Horizon spends about $8,000 on tickets for executives to attend Rotary luncheons and board of trade meetings — a tiny amount compared to Horizon's $1-billion annual budget. The money comes from parking and cafeteria revenues, not government health-care funding.
Still, Peters said that fund should not have been used for a PC fundraiser.
With more than 100 facilities, about 13,000 employees, and 1,000 physicians, Horizon Health Network is the largest health care organization in Atlantic Canada, according to its website. Its annual operating budget is more than $1 billion.
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