Premier looking to find more energy- efficient fleet vehicles for staff

Notley says vehicles ordered on security team’s recommendations

Premier Rachel Notley concedes the optics aren’t great for a climate change warrior to be travelling the province in a gas- guzzling SUV, but says she is working toward acquiring a more energy efficient mode of transportation.

“In some ways optically, it would be better for me to be driving a one- seated car,” she told reporters Wednesday. “The difficulty is that I typically travel in that vehicle with three to five staff members, almost always.”

Notley travels Alberta in one of two luxury model 2015 Chevrolet Suburbans, worth about $ 67,500 each. One vehicle is stationed in Edmonton and the other in Calgary.

Her executive protection unit accompanies her using five late model Buick Enclaves, worth about $ 50,000 each. All told, the premier’s fleet, including security vehicles, cost $ 384,043.62.

The four- wheel drive, 355- horsepower, 5.3- litre V- 8 Suburbans, Chevrolet’s largest SUVs, are rated at about 18 miles per gallon.

Notley said the Suburbans were ordered for former PC premier Jim Prentice on the security team’s recommendation that they are the safest and most secure vehicles.

“That being said, officials in the Ministry of Environment are consulting with officials in Service Alberta to look at how we can adjust the policy around the fleet vehicles to reduce their cost and to enhance their environmental integrity,” the premier said.

Cheryl Oates, the premier’s spokeswoman, said the Suburbans are the security industry standard, and are chosen for their height, weight and airbag reliability.

She said it’s government policy to replace vehicles after 120,000 kilometres. The Suburbans replaced vehicles that had travelled 165,000 kilometres, Oates added.

Opposition critics were reluctant to criticize the premier’s vehicle now that the government has sold its executive aircraft fleet.

“There are some simple practical realities of what it means to be premier of Alberta,” said Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark.

“You have security considerations; you have staff considerations. I think that we need to be careful. If a vehicle has just recently been purchased, is it ... the right use of Alberta taxpayers’ money to be buying something else?”

PC Leader Ric McIver said he wasn’t going to criticize the premier for the car that she drives. He said he traded in his Toyota Corolla for a truck to make the weekly commute from Calgary to Edmonton.

Service Alberta Minister Danielle Larivee told a budget committee Wednesday the province has an executive fleet worth $ 1 million for use by the premier, cabinet ministers and senior officials.

She said the province has 54 executive fleet vehicles, but rather than ordering new ones, most cabinet ministers are driving vehicles from existing stock.

The province budgeted $ 13.5 million to purchase vehicles this year after two studies showed it was more economic to purchase vehicles than to lease them. To save additional money, Alberta has partnered with B. C. and Saskatchewan in the purchase of some vehicles, Larivee said.

In some ways optically, it would be better for me to be driving a one-seated car. The difficulty is that I typically travel in that vehicle with three to five staff members, almost always.