Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk has taken up recent comments about her expense claims.
According to official expense reports, Armstrong-Homeniuk billed $50,967 in 2020/2021 and $50,014 in the last fiscal year. Expenses included 49,851 kilometres of travel in 2020/2021 and 49,029 kilometres last year, in addition to claiming the maximum living expense allowance of $23,180 for a residence in Edmonton.
The current reimbursement rate for MLAs in Alberta is 50.5 cents per kilometre.
“The Legislative Assembly Office (LAO) guidelines recognize that it is unreasonable for MLAs who live more than 60 kilometres from the Legislature Building to travel back and forth on a daily basis,” said Armstrong-Homeniuk in a statement.
“In my particular case, the Alberta Legislature is over an hour and twenty-minute drive from my home in Vegreville.”
Former MLA Jessica Littlewood was similarly put under the microscope in 2018 for claiming the maximum allowed travel distance of 80,000 kilometres, to which she was reimbursed $34,800. Littlewood lived in Fort Saskatchewan, making her ineligible for Edmonton housing expenses.