Lac La Biche County officials say neither councillors nor their administration used taxpayers’ dollars to play in this summer’s Cormorant Classic golf tournament. Other municipal officials in neighbouring communities, however, are on the defensive after a CBC story revealed they used public funds to attend the annual tournament.
According to Alberta’s Election Act, it is illegal to use public money for partisan politics.
The Cormorant Classic serves as a meet and greet for local MLA Ray Danyluk, drawing municipal representatives from across the province. It is also a fundraiser for the Lac La Biche-St. Paul Progress-ive Conservative Association.
The golf tournament’s enrollment was mentioned in a CBC news article last week about St. Paul County CAO Ron Boisvert who used his work email to urge municipal staff to vote for either Allison Redford or Doug Horner in the recent PC leadership race. Boisvert is also the treasurer of the Lac La Biche-St. Paul PC association. His message said that those two candidates were the best options for the area for the continued financial support from the government and the current MLA.
The email and the golf tournament payments have government opposition members saying it is an example of ‘pork-barrel’ politics, where those in power use that power to pay for their support.
“It’s a syptom of a party that’s been in government for 40 years,” said Shayne Saskiw Wildrose candidate for the area. Saskiw said it seems that municipal officials feel pressured to act like this in order to get MLAs’ attention.
“Municipal politicians are getting forced into obliging here,” he said.
Danyluk said he had no idea how the people at the golf tournament paid for their tickets. He also had no idea what he scored.
“I have yet in my life to play a game of golf where I kept score. I’m not there to play golf. I’m there to meet the people and hear them. It’s a function that I’m attending ... It’s a role you have to play. I know that people are now pointing their fingers at some councillors, but let me tell you, it’s not easy being a county councillor.”
While Danyluk may agree that Boisvert’s email campaign was not a wise choice, he was less critical of councillors and municipal officials attending his golf tournament. Careful to say he was fully in favour of the province’s policy restricting municipal officials from using public funds to attend events endorsed by political parties, he did say that council members at many of these events are only there to represent their electorate.
“I’m not going to suggest for a second that a municipal councillor should not obey the regulations or the act,” he said, “but it does present a bit of a connundrum.”
He said it can be a “fine line” between representing the voters and getting free entry to an event.
“If they are there representing their municipality at an event where MLAs are, then they have to work the room. That’s their job. They have a responsibility.”
If they simply “water buffalo” together, said Danyluk, “if they all sit together and don’t work the room, then you truly are in a conflict because you are just there, you’re not doing anything for the people you represent.”
While not disagreeing with the public funds policy outright, Danyluk did say he found it hard to believe a municipal politician would attend a political event if the cost came directly out of their own pocket.
“Should you get paid for going? To do your job? Let me just say that if it wasn’t my job and somebody said you have to go to this particular event, I am going to say, ‘Are you serious?’”
Former PC Association president, and former Lac La Biche municipal councillor Brydon Ward said any fallout from the tournament membership should not land on Danyluk. The provincial policy clearly puts the onus on the attendees at the functions. Ward is also disappointed that a positive, community awareness event — that also makes for a good day on the course — has been dragged through the political muck.
Ward said the Cormorant Classic tournament raises approximately $10,000 for the local PC riding each year.
But Saskiw said he found it hard to believe that Danyluk had no idea of where attendees like Boisvert, who is the PC Assosiation Treasurer, got the funds to play in the golf tournament. He said that as someone who is involved with the consituency, he would know what the treasurer is up to. Saskiw and the Wildrose party are saying that the matter needs to be looked to see how long this has been going on.
“What we need is a full investiagtion to see how prevalent this is,’” Saskiw said.
But the provincial ombusman will not be able to look into the issue — they have no jurisdiction over municipal matters, said Deputy Ombudsman Joanne Smart. Even if they tried to undertake a review, the employee could easily challenge them, she said.
The St. Paul Journal is reporting this week that Boisvert and his municipal colleagues are examining new guidelines for official email use.
Across northeastern Alberta, several other communities have been found to support political fundraisers. According to information found at macleans.ca, councillors in Athabasca and Smoky Lake have voted on actual motions in council to pay for team entries in past Cormorant Classic tournaments.