$ 13,000 spent on big TVs

Premier Jim Prentice’s office said Tuesday it spent $ 13,000 on four 80- inch flat screen TVs, less than a week after the Alberta government tabled a budget that hiked taxes and a host of user fees.

The Sharp LED Smart TVs will be used for video conferencing during cabinet and government committee meetings, said Mike Percy, Prentice’s chief of staff.

One TV will be installed in the legislature cabinet room, while a second is destined for the McDougall Centre in Calgary.

The remaining two will go in executive council meetings rooms on the seventh floor of the Edmonton Federal Building.

Percy said with the government aircraft fleet all but sold, travel for ministers became time consuming and costly.

“The whole point of the exercise was to save money and to allow ministers to better use their time, as opposed to driving back and forth or flying back and forth,” he said.

He said the existing 65- inch screens used for video conferencing during cabinet meetings couldn’t include everyone around the table and were of poor quality.

“I would think people would look at this and say, ‘ Well, it is the 21st century. Tele- video conferencing is used extensively by business. It’s about time governments actually adopted this lower- cost technology as opposed to the use of planes and cars,’ ” Percy said.

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said the purchase is “unbelievable” when the government expects Albertans to pay new taxes.

“Most Albertans would have to work a couple years before they could afford a nice TV like that,” Jean said.