The statutory regulation of MLA expense claims is that MLA’s claim expenses from their constituency offices to and from Victoria, all expenses while in Victoria, and expenses in regard to travel within the province outside of their elected constituency offices.
These are called allowable expenses. These allowable expenses become non-allowable expenses when working in their home constituency offices. The reason for this is that all MLA’s receive $119,000 per year for the operation of their offices. No expense claims are allowed in their home constituency offices.
The NDP MLA’s have their expense claims available online to anyone who is interested to see what expenses are being reimbursed. Some examples of bogus expenses are NDP MLA’s claiming non allowable expenses while working in their home riding.
They include: Sue Hammell claiming car mileage, Judy Darcy claiming car mileage and parking, Jane Shin claiming car mileage, breakfast, lunch and dinner meals, Bruce Ralston claiming lunches, Translink fares, parking and taxi, Kathy Corrigan claiming car mileage, taxi, breakfast and lunch meals, parking and Translink fares, Raj Chouhan claiming Translink fares, parking and mileage, Adrian Dix claiming Translink fares and parking.
Harry Bains and Mike Farnworth make allowable expense claims on taxi fares, during their travels. These taxi fares average $100 per ride. Does this mean that they are avoiding public transit and taking a taxi from the Legislature to the ferry terminal?
My conclusion is that MLA travel expense claims are not being audited by the B.C. Auditor General’s department. Also why are the accounting staff in the B.C. Legislature office writing out cheques for these bogus expense claims? No verification whatsoever being done One big joke. A licence to print money at the B.C. taxpayer’s expense.
Joe SawchukDuncan
