Obscure board expensed over $20,000 for world travels
Government expenses posted online
Members of an obscure advisory board spent more than $20,000 of taxpayers’ money flying into Edmonton from around the world this fall to attend a twice yearly meeting, according to expense documents filed online Friday as part of the Redford government’s new disclosure policy.
The Conservative government forked out more than $12,000 just to fly Peter Riddles from his home in Queensland, Australia to the province’s capital for the October meeting of the Alberta Research and Innovation Authority board.
Others flew in from as far away as Ireland, Helsinki, Munich, and New York for the three-day meeting, but six of the 11 have yet to file expense claims for their travel.
The board’s executive director Lee Kruszewski claimed expenses of about $8,000, including $3,000 on food and hospitality for the visiting board members: a $1,100 din- ner at Hardware Grill, a $750 banquet at the Westin, and $500 on sandwiches.
The board, which provides advice for research and innovation developments, has filed no public reports since its formation under former premier Ed Stelmach in 2009, but it met with Enterprise and Advanced Education Minister Stephen Kahn during the visit, said department spokeswoman Marie Iwanow.
“This is all scientific and science-based, and we know that science and out comes from that are not necessarily an immediate type of occurrence,” Iwanow said. “This would be a continuation of discussion and advice.”
She said the board members look at issues involving forestry, biotech, biomaterials, biofuels, health innovation and international venture capital.
She was unable to say how much the committee costs taxpayers annually, explaining it is “variable” depending on how much time board members spend preparing.
The board provides advice to the minister at meetings or through update letters and works with other branches of Alberta Innovates, she said. Its expenses are paid through honorariums.
In all, the government spent more than $79,000 on honorariums for members of various boards during the two months — more than cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats spent on mileage ($76,000), ground transportation ($40,000) and meals ($37,000).
Enterprise and Advanced Education spent most on honorariums — more than $33,000 — followed closely by Human Services at $29,000.
Top-spending boards include the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board, which cost taxpayers nearly $13,000 over the two-month period, and Child and Family Services Review Boards, which cost at least $24,000 in honorariums.
The executives on the top 10 list of most expenses claimed in October-November include some of Alberta’s most powerful civil servants.
Larry Wall, the director of energy and value added development for Enterprise and Advanced Education, spent about $10,000 on “investment attraction missions” in Budapest, Paris and Dubai.
Ron Benson, a CEO for Human Services, spent more than $10,000 on flights between Fort McMurray and Edmonton to attend meetings.
William (Jim) Ellis, deputy minister of Energy, spent $8,815 travelling to energy meetings, including more than $4,200 on a flight to China for the CanadaChina Energy Forum.
Daryl Hanak, executive director of trade policy for International and Intergovernmental Relations, also claimed more than $8,000 — most of it on a two-week trip to Brussels as Albert’s chief negotiator on Canada’s Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement with the European Union.
More expenses for cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats can be found at alberta.ca under the heading of public disclosure for travel and expenses. The first posting Friday will be followed up with another in mid-February and every two months following.
Service Alberta Minister Manmeet Bhullar said the new online expense disclosure policy, which includes copies of receipted expenses, leads other provincial jurisdictions and the federal government in transparency and accountability.
“Albertans can search, sort, and download the expenses of our cabinet and senior officials in government,” he said Friday in a news release. “This is unprecedented across the country.”
The expenses disclosed on the web Friday also show that Infrastructure Minister Wayne Drysdale spent $400 in little more than a month on cab rides to and from the Edmonton airport.
Drysdale made five trips to and from the airport between Oct. 5 and Nov. 16, paying $80 per trip, whether it was to his downtown Edmonton residence or the Alberta legislature. The flat rate for cabs from the airport to downtown Edmonton is under $50.
Drysdale’s press secretary said the minister, who represents Grande Prairie-Wapiti, frequently takes cabs to and from the airport to represent his constituents and perform his ministerial duties, often early in the morning.
“He has a regular cab driver that he calls because he is reliable,” said Jeannie Smith. “We may have to take a look at what we’re paying for cabs in the future.”
In total, cabinet ministers and senior government officials spent more than $40,000 on ground transportation in October and November.
The biggest overall spender in the first two-month period was International and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Cal Dallas, who racked up more than $21,000 in expenses, including one flight from Calgary to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Bahrain that cost $14,553. His four-night stay in Abu Dhabi at the Beach Rotana Hotel cost taxpayers $2,330.
Premier Alison Redford was the fourth-biggest spender at $12,330, followed closely by Environment Minister Diana McQueen at $12,315, but seven of the top 10 biggest spenders were unelected officials.
Redford often travels first class because of security issues, but her chief of staff, Farouk Adatia, also often travels executive class. He booked an executive class ticket to Halifax — via Toronto — in November for the Council of the Federation meeting.
The Redford government’s new expense policy states that business class is only to be booked for flights more than four hours long unless the traveller has security concerns or medical conditions that warrant the upgrade.
The biggest-spending department was International and Intergovernmental Relations at $115,700, followed by Human Services at $114,200. Enterprise and Advanced Education officials spent $80,000 and Justice spent $57,000.
Rounding out the top six, Alberta Energy officials spent nearly $53,000 and Environment and Sustainable Resource Development spent $45,500 on travel, accommodation, hosting and working sessions.