David Shelley has done a mission report on air the last few years, I give someone credit, they finally directed the website contacts back to Crossroads.

I want to see what Shelley has to say, appreciate the heads up.

As for point people, it is up to OSC investigators, Rev Can, Canadian Council of Christian Charities and Crossroads to do their job.

If people are innocent (and leaders could have been scammed as any lesser known investor) expecting management to responsibly say so is appropriate. Give an accounting to investors, donors, viewers.
If the organization has been wounded, if things have been neglected, truth is better than pretense and silence.

When people find out how much the leadership personally lost, it’ll be a shock.
If Crossroads hasn’t been managed well, then it is their responsibility to say how and why.

Months into this we don’t know who has been caught up in what, or why.

Media has done part of a job, they’ve reported what facts are known. I don’t think blogs are equipped to do the rest of their job and Crossroads has chosen not to co-operate with media to date.

There will be a piece coming out later in the summer (probably after the next US hearing beginning of August) by Christian Week. Most media called Crossroads a ‘church’ and didn’t correct their copy.

We don’t know how many volunteers who were let go, former staff or viewers have asked questions.
We’ve been told there is an active investigation by Crossroads CEO, but that’s intentionally vague.

Affinity fraud is on the rise, and while I think this is an opportunity for Crossroads to send out a clear call, I don’t have any indication they see it that way.
The board of directors has had 2-3 months to govern through and beyond crisis mode.
Ask for an audit. Let investigators from the OSC and Rev Can know they get full co-operation if there are investigations. Interview employee investors, go through department financials, make decisions to update the ministry website, notify partners and organizations which have certified Crossroads, assess and address the issues a charity governing board is responsible for. Every board member is libel if financial irregularities or malpractice is uncovered.
They have insurance, but that’s a small part of the larger issue. Public and donor trust, effective internal communication, co-operation with regulatory agencies are also part of the boards responsibility.
There is no guarantee board members are on the same page, but they all have to sign off on whatever steps they take.

I’ve been critical of Crossroads public response while understanding this may be the largest crisis Crossroads has been through. They may not be equipped to handle it, and given outside factors such as the global economic downturn and donor fatigue, public perception (what there is of it) may be a nail in the proverbial coffin for the ministry. Time will tell.

This was once a very powerful Christian organization with ties into parliament and an ability to reach out to marginalized people. Perhaps rightfully those days are gone. I don’t know what it is anymore.

While such questionable activity is certainly not limited to Christians why can’t these individuals be exposed and prosecuted to the full extent of the law? Is this kind of crime not important enough? Is it because it involves a third world country or a minority? We spend more time bashing the seal hunt and trying to save animals than we do tracking these criminals.

It is brazen disregard for the law. Where is the mainstream media? They are quick to show and condemn the GG for tasting seal meat – a main staple of indigenous northerners – but can’t spare a reporter to expose these crooks? Is it because it’s a “Christian” organization?

Oh please.====

That isn’t a hard question, nor a threatening one.
Yes, I do know what you mean, thanks for that.

No, BDBO doesn’t need the traffic, I’ve turned all media approaches down, the story isn’t here.
This story is not exciting or juicy, this Crossroads/Driver story is depressing.

I was doing the Saturday air shift when the scanner burped out an accident on a local highway. Standard, until a call came in on the private line.

My boss, his wife and a police officers wife were the accident victims.

I taped a newscast, dashed over to the hospital. The wife had been flown to a trauma centre and my boss wanted to see me.

Normally a hospital wouldn’t let a none family member in, but he had asked.

He was so bashed up he was unrecognizable, shocky, deeply worried about his wife (the lady in the back seat was shaken but okay).
He gripped my hand and said,”Be fair. Cover this the way you would any other accident.”

I stayed with him, hospital staff had asked me to reassure him so he’d relax enough for the medications to kick in. Took awhile.

Finally station owners showed up, I left.
Called in a receptionist, divided up the staff calls.
Filed with the wire.
Not the first time I covered a story about a co-worker, but still incredibly hard.

“Be fair.”

Fair is a two way street when you are a media company.
I think Crossroads is shooting itself in the foot.

I think I can understand on some level what Crossroad employees and former employees are going through. I don’t pretend to know what investors are going though.

Some people need more answers than others.
While people understand financial investigations take time, I’m not going to pretend it’s my nature to clam up.
I have no need to apologize for blogging or for questions.

“Be fair.”

He had been in media all his life and he was asking me to do my job. He needed to know I’d do it ethically, whether he was found to be at fault or not.
He ran the station, he understood it’s high profile and the community responsibility. He needed to know his news staff did also, before he let go to begin travelling his long road of healing.

I’m not blogging to Crossroads management.

I’m not running a newsroom, this is a blog, and I realize people will stop by who are not used to the diversity of opinion, the corrections, and the back and forth of comments. What they see is what they get, and if it’s too Inquirer, other choices are finally becoming available until Crossroads steps up to the plate.

Crossroads is a company/ministry, they have resources at their disposal to be as fair and ethical to the community as they chose to.
The core families – even given the amount they’ve lost – will have support. We already know many people don’t.

You know that’s so true. I was investigating a cache of crossroads.ca myself for April 2006, and it appears as if they were selling a 30th Anniversary Commemorative Print, around the same time the CFTC documents identify the alleged Driver ponzi scheme getting underway. I can just imagine where the windfall of money from that sale went

I know this new exposure has been exciting. When news agencies reference your blog, that’s great. But, remember that quality is better than quantity. Becoming the Huntley Inquirer may be juicy, but poeple start to not take you seriously – which hinders your effort. Do you know what I mean?