Full list of MLA expenses released

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

A day after the resignation of Yarmouth MLA Richard Hurlburt was announced amid an MLA spending scandal, Nova Scotians learned more about the fact that Hurlburt wasn’t the only big spender among the province’s MLAs.

Nor was Hurlburt the only MLA who purchased a pricey generator.

On Wednesday, Feb. 10 the Speaker’s Office released documents that list the expenses of all MLAs, including those who were defeated in the last election and those who did not reoffer.

Over a three-year period former Progressive Conservative MLA and cabinet minister Len Goucher filed expense claims for five digital cameras, 11 computers, 12 printers and four video recorders. He even expensed an Xbox 360 Dance Dance Revolution Universe game.

After taxes, Goucher’s overall spending over three years, was $43,982.27.

Former Tory MLA Bill Dooks purchased a generator at $6,449 (before taxes), and also submitted an expense of $1,827 to install it. Some media outlets were reporting Wednesday that Dooks, like Hurlburt, had installed the generator in his home. And like the former Yarmouth MLA, Dooks said it was at his home for the community’s use.

Hurlburt’s Honda generator cost around $8,000 before taxes. The list of expenses released on Feb. 10 said he purchased the generator on Dec. 23, 2008 from Ryan’s Electrical and Security Services Ltd.

The $2,499 40-inch LCD television Hurlburt purchased was bought on Dec. 27, 2006 from Sky-Tech Audiotronic, according to the documents released. The expense claim also included $579 for installation. When contacted on Thursday to ask what may have been involved in the installation of the television, the manager at Sky-Tech politely declined comment. “We don’t want to get involved in that end of it. We’ve answered questions to the proper people and we’ve cleared ourselves of any misunderstandings or anything like that, and we’re going to stay out of it," she said, although she did add that Hurlburt has supported local businesses during his years as an MLA and that is appreciated.

Another local business where Hurlburt purchased many items was Cassa Business Equipment.

Hurlburt's expenses showed in September 2008 he also purchased another television, listed as "for his office." Hurlburt spent $790.99 (HST included) at Costco.

Hurlburt also purchased three laptops over those three years, totalling around $4,116 before taxes. Another large expense listed from December 2007 was $6,500 spent on “leasehold improvements.” There were also three cell phones listed among Hurlburt’s expenses.

Overall, after taxes, Hurlburt submitted expense claims totalling $33,220.18. That places him third on the list of the biggest spenders, behind Goucher and Alfie MacLeod, whose expenses added up to $36,477.63.

It wasn’t just Hurlburt who submitted an expense claim for a television. Nineteen TVs were bought by MLAs over the years. The expense claims released Wednesday showed that former Tory cabinet minister Carolyn Bolivar-Getson purchased a 50-inch plasma TV worth $1,604.79, before taxes, in December 2007. She told the media the screen size was only 40 or 42 inches, not what was indicated in the Speaker’s list of expenses. She also bought a generator for her office, valued at $4,376.46 after taxes.

Argyle MLA Chris d’Entremont submitted expenses totalling $16,181.30 over a three-year period. He was included on a list of duplicate payments received for a $100 donation made to Le Fete nationale des Acadiens and a $427.14 credit card bill for an Ambassador briefcase from Roots.

Hurlburt was not among the MLAs cited for duplicate expense claims.

Both Yarmouth County MLAs were listed as having submitted expenses for five computers over three years, as did nine other MLAs including the Premier Darrell Dexter, interim PC leader Karen Casey and Wayne Gaudet of Clare.

Halifax Atlantic MLA Michele Raymond topped the list of duplicate payments with 10 such cases, totalling $3,071.95.

Premier Darrell Dexter’s expenses over the three-year period that was examined by the auditor general was $21,931.49.

The MLA who spent the least amount of money was NDP MLA Bill Estabrooks who only submitted expenses totalling $2,325.01.