MLA responds to criticism of expenses

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MLA responds to expense claim criticism

BY JANA SEMENIUK

Fort Sask - Vegreville MLA Jackie Armstrong Homeniuk recently responded to an article appearing in the Sturgeon Creek Post criticizing her current expense claims for being higher than an expense claim of previous NDP MLA Jessica Littlewood.

Littlewood was lambasted by fellow and former MLAs in 2018 for claiming 80,000 kilometers, the maximum allowable amount for travel, on her expense form which she was reimbursed nearly $35,000.

Littlewood’s home was in Fort Saskatchewan at the time, 36 kilometers from Edmonton.

Although Homeniuk only claimed 49,000 kilometers last year, an added living expense of the maximum $23,160 brought her total claim for the year ending in March 2022 to more than $49,000.

The expense is allowed to cover the cost of accommodation while travelling within the province on MLA business or maintaining a temporary residence to attend a legislative sitting or other MLA business, according to the openalberta.ca website.

“My home is 120 kilometers from the legislature,” said Homeniuk, who resides in Vegreville.

“The legislature does not stop at six. When we sit in the evening, we could be sitting until two

Fort Sask - Vegreville MLA Jackie Armstrong Homeniuk or three in the morning and committees start at 8:00 in the morning. If we are sitting until midnight, it would be ridiculous to drive home and to drive back.”

Homeniuk included she has rented a space in Edmonton for this purpose. In addition, MLAs took a five percent pay cut in 2019 as well as had their fuel, oil changes, and carwashes removed from the list of reimbursed expenses.

In her first year as MLA, Homeniuk was reimbursed $52,910 for mileage and living expenses and $56,648 in her second year. Today mileage is calculated at 50.5 cents per kilometer, while in 2018 it was 43.5 cents.

In Littlewood’s first year, she was reimbursed $4,396 for travel and accommodation, $24,392 in her second year, $41,641 in her third and $12,184 in her last year as MLA.