There are four important by-elections underway right now in Alberta. The vote is on Monday. The Premier, the Health Minister, and the Education Minister have their names on ballots in three of the four ridings. Jim Prentice, Stephen Mandel (above, pictured in 2006), and Gordon Dirks, of course, are all members of the longest-ruling-party in Canadian history, the Alberta Progressive Conservatives.
The PCs, though, are in trouble mostly because a lot of Albertans seem disgusted with a sense of entitlement that has grown around the party. Using government aircraft to fly family and friends around. A former premier’s plan to build a multi-million dollar “sky palace” apartment for herself in Edmonton. And so on.
The opposition Wildrose Party are taking full advantage of this “target-rich” environment with some well-timed direct hits using information it received using access-to-information laws. It scored again Wednesday, unveiling the fact that Mandel (above), running for the PCs in Edmonton-Whitemud, expenses $69,000 worth of Edmonton Oilers tickets to taxpayers when he was the mayor of Edmonton.
I’ve listed below some of the other direct hits Wildrose has scored this year using ATI requests and I’m hard-pressed to think of another opposition party that has had this kind of success.
How have the PCs responded to hit after hit stemming from ATI requests? By trying to interfere with the ATI process, of course!
Wildrose press release: Lukaszuk interfering in Freedom of Information requests
EDMONTON, AB (April 22, 2014): Former Deputy Premier and current Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour Minister Thomas Lukaszuk directed his cabinet colleagues to have their staff “gather information” about Freedom of Information requests and releases that could be damaging to the government, the Wildrose Official Opposition revealed today.
According to a hard copy of an e-mail hand-delivered to Wildrose, Lukaszuk circulated a memo to the Premier and cabinet on Nov. 29, 2013 to have their press secretaries “gather information about active FOIP requests which have the potential to generate media, session, political or other reputational issues for the government.” The memo also asked the information be forwarded to his office by noon on Fridays…
A review of some of the recent successes Wildrose has has from its ATI researchers:
- EDMONTON, AB (October 22, 2014): Jim Prentice’s hand-picked minister and PC Edmonton-Whitemud candidate Stephen Mandel expensed over $69,000 to taxpayers for Edmonton Oilers tickets between 2008 and 2012, along with high priced travel bills, thousands in hosting tabs and even tickets to Edmonton’s Symphony Orchestra, the Wildrose announced today.
- EDMONTON, AB (October 9, 2014): Luxury draperies, bullet proof doors, porcelain and stone wall tile, custom millwork and other pricey upgrades and change orders to the SkyPalace have pushed the total price tag for the penthouse suite atop Edmonton’s Federal Building to over $2 million, the Wildrose announced today.Wildrose has released new data – obtained under Freedom of Information legislation – …
- CALGARY, AB (October 6, 2014): Today, the Wildrose released new data showing exorbitant severance packages that would not be covered by Premier Jim Prentice’s so-called Accountability Act and announced it would cap severances and bonuses for all senior managers and government officials – not just political staff. Prentice announced that he will only limit severance for political staff but new figures from Service Alberta obtained through Freedom of Information legislation show sweetheart severance deals extend well his network of PC insiders.
- AIRDRIE, AB (September 3, 2014): The PC government should immediately release all information requested surrounding the sole-source contract Jim Prentice’s former employer, CIBC, received from his leadership campaign co-chair, Manmeet Bhullar, Wildrose Finance Critic Rob Anderson said today. Wildrose made a Freedom of Information request in July into the details of the $225,000 sole-source deal between Bhullar’s Service Alberta department and CIBC World Markets, but the PC government delayed the release of this information until August, and then again until October…
- EDMONTON, AB (April 23, 2014): Wait times for several key procedures, as well as other critical performance benchmarks, are well below targets and getting worse in Edmonton and area, according to new data obtained by the Wildrose Official Opposition. The data, obtained through Freedom of Information Legislation, shows that a vast majority of wait times for surgical procedures, treatments and other performance benchmarks tracked by Alberta Health Services continue to exceed maximum targets. – See more at: http://archive.wildrose.ca/feature/ahs-failing-on-wait-times-in-edmonton-and-area/#sthash.5N8ySMSi.dpuf
- EDMONTON, AB (April 15, 2014): Alberta Health Services doled out nearly $1 billion in untendered contracts over a two year period, the Wildrose Official Opposition revealed today. According to documents obtained through Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) legislation…
- EDMONTON, AB (April 8, 2014): Alberta Health Services spent nearly $250 million on outside consultants for services such as communications advice and executive coaching in an 18-month period between 2012 and 2013, the Wildrose Official Opposition revealed today. According to data obtained through Freedom of Information legislation,
- EDMONTON, AB (January 7, 2014): The Wildrose Official Opposition is renewing its call for the PC party to reimburse taxpayers for the partisan Building Alberta advertising campaign after today revealing its full cost to the public. According to documents obtained under Freedom of Information legislation, the PC government spent more than $660,000 on a multi-platform digital advertising blitz in 2013.
- EDMONTON, AB (January 7, 2014): The Wildrose Official Opposition is renewing its call for the PC party to reimburse taxpayers for the partisan Building Alberta advertising campaign after today revealing its full cost to the public. According to documents obtained under Freedom of Information legislation, the PC government spent more than $660,000 on a multi-platform digital advertising blitz in 2013.
Mandel expensed the tickets as if he paid for them himself when he was the Mayor. BS. His office budget covered such stuff and was very likely paid by taxpayers. He then pocketed that money, likely defrauding Albertans. Could this be considered criminal?
The PCs don’t have to worry. The Calgary and Edmonton voters will do exactly what they did in the last election because of the provincial gravy train that has flowed from the PCs into Alberta’s two largest cities.
Those of us who live in rural Alberta will have to soldier on while the PCs cut services and strangle development in the hinterlands.
As far as the PCs being trustworthy, remember Fort MacLeod anyone?