Edmonton councillor to reimburse city for MBA tuition
An Edmonton city councillor is reversing his decision to bill taxpayers for thousands of dollars in post-secondary tuition costs.
Ward 3 Coun. Jon Dziadyk initially posted a blog to his website on Jan. 11 announcing his enrolment in the University of Alberta’s Executive MBA program. At the time, he said he would personally pay one-third of the tuition for the program while using “some discretionary public dollars, from my ward account, to finance this degree.”
According to the university’s website, the cost to enrol in the masters of business administration program is $67,000.
“Regarding my partial reimbursement for my MBA, I have decided to voluntarily reimburse the city, although I have been advised that no policies were violated,” Dziadyk said in a statement on Facebook Thursday. “I will continue to pursue this degree with my own money to be a more effective councillor.
“Despite receiving positive initial comments on my decision to take on this professional development, it is clear to me now that this is something I should pursue without any support from public dollars.”
His change of heart followed a CBC report on the expense.
Dziadyk spoke with reporters Thursday afternoon saying he consulted with constituents before making the payment but now recognizes it was inappropriate.
“I’m very sorry I broke the trust of my constituents,” Dziadyk said. “As a city councillor, it’s my duty to ensure every tax dollar is spent to benefit our city. With the tough economic times that we’re facing here in Edmonton I acknowledge that using my ward funds for professional development was not appropriate.
“As a result, I plan to fully reimburse the city of Edmonton for the money that was received.”
Dziadyk said he will continue to pursue the degree and says he has already received an “immediate benefit” after attending the first class. “I do regret that I did charge money initially. I see that was inappropriate,” said Dziadyk. “I recognize that not everyone knew the dollar figure.”