“I want to support and work with my community and for my community . . . I have my grandchildren and my wife and my boys, I want them to be secure. I don’t want to see people leaving anymore,” he says. “Let’s do something for our economy. Lets maintain and expand what we have.”
At age 64, Hurlburt spends a lot of his time volunteering, which, in part, he can afford to do since he draws an MLA pension, a fact he doesn’t hide. He also doesn’t hide the fact he’s had turmoil in his life. But he says he’s moving on.
That turmoil began in February 2010 after the province’s auditor general at the time, Jacques Lapointe, filed a report noting that several Nova Scotian politicians had filed excessive or inappropriate claims. Hurlburt was one of those politicians.
Although he wasn’t the only big spender, his expenses, and how he initially reacted to the report, became amongst the most controversial. On social media comments were angry. Even vicious. Less than a week after the auditor general’s report was filed, and after around 10 years of representing the people of Yarmouth at the Legislature, Hurlburt tendered his resignation.
“It is with deep regret and sorrow that I advise I am tendering my resignation as MLA for Yarmouth and as a member of the Progressive Conservative Caucus,” he wrote in a Feb. 9, 2010 letter, saying he deeply regretted his error in judgment as noted in the auditor general’s report.
“My response to it has caused much anguish for my family, my community, my caucus, my party and individuals across Nova Scotia. I am truly sorry for this misstep and apologize to my constituents, all Nova Scotians, and my family for this pain and embarrassment.”
Hurlburt says resigning was the right and honourable thing to do.
THE GENERATOR
A particular lightning rod had been an $8,000 generator Hurlburt had installed in his home. People scoffed at his explanation that he had bought it for other groups to use. It became the butt of jokes and the target of anger. He did reimburse the province for this and all other expenses, which also included a wide-screen TV for his constiuency office that the auditor general had flagged as an excessive expense. People saw the MLA expenses as a betrayal of the public trust.
“Do you regret the generator?” he’s asked, while seated in the boardroom of the Yarmouth Vanguard for an interview.
“I regret a lot of things,” he says. “But I don’t regret doing things for my community and the people of my community. I’ll go to my grave with that.”
Hurlburt was eventually one of a handful of MLAs charged for their expenses, although he describes the expense rules of the past as being ‘loosey goosey’ in nature. The guidelines, he maintains, were all over the map. Even Lapointe had said at the time, “the rules were so ambiguous it’s hard to tell what’s right and wrong.”
That there was a review was a good thing, Hurlburt says.
Still, it was determined by the RCMP that some of Hurlburt’s expenses had crossed the line of just being excessive or inappropriate as the scandal moved into the courts. In July 2012 Hurlburt was sentenced to 12 months of house arrest after earlier pleading guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000 and one count of breach of trust involving $25,320.77 of fraudulent expense claims. He could have entered those guilty pleas in a Halifax courtroom, but he chose instead to do it in Yarmouth to "face his constituents," he had said at the time. Aside from house arrest, he was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and placed on probation.
On that day in court Hurlburt still had his supporters – family, friends and constituents. They exhaled a sigh of relief when he wasn’t sentenced to jail time. “He’s okay, no jail,” whispered one person inside the courtroom. “Phew,” responded another.
His house arrest included the usual court conditions that allowed him to be absent from his home for medical appointments, family medical emergencies, for employment, for appointments with his lawyer and when he was performing community service. But the judge ordered that while at his home he either had to be inside his residence, or if outdoors he could not be anymore than 100 feet, or 30 metres, from his house.
While people thought he got off easy because he wasn’t sentenced to jail, Hurlburt says house arrest isn't what people may think it is.
“Yes you’re not in the jail, but you’re confined. You have to do everything according to the guidelines that are laid out for you and it’s very strict,” he says. “It’s no walk in the park.”
HIS COMMUNITY
Although Hurlburt says he’s willing to talk about anything in this interview, from time to time you can tell doing so is uncomfortable for him.
Other times you see hints of the fighter Hurlburt had pledged to be for Yarmouth when he ran for provincial politics.
Hurlburt speaks out about things he feels needs attention.
Topping his list is the changes taking place in the health care sector as the provincial government moves towards decreasing the number of health districts to two – a provincial one and one for the IWK. The South West Health district is one of those that will soon disappear. This coupled with a cut in the number of health care bargaining units has health care and hospital workers feeling angst and uncertainty, Hurlburt says.
But they’re scared to speak out.
“It’s chaotic up there (at the Yarmouth hospital). You can complain about our health care but the front row workers deserve a pat on the back,” he says. “They’re always there for you when you need them and they’re going through a turmoil right now with the unions and the changing of the boards. No one knows what tomorrow is going to bring.”
He thinks Yarmouth still needs to see some sort of major industry come to town.
He also believes the airport is one of our most underutilized assets.
Asked if there is anything he would have liked to have accomplished while in provincial politics that he never got the chance to, without hesitation Hurlburt says he would have liked to have seen a revival of activity at the former Rio Algom tin mine.
“I worked on that file for the last two years I was there. I firmly believe to this day that there is a resource there that belongs to the people of Nova Scotia,” he says. “There’s a resource there that could be a huge economic benefit to our community and all of southwestern Nova Scotia. We should be doing everything to promote that to help the company that wants to rejuvenate the old Rio Algom site.”
Listening to Hurlburt talk, it almost sounds like he wants to make a comeback.
He admits people talk to him about it.
“They know that my heart is in the right place,” he says. “Everybody makes mistakes in life. I’ve dealt with that and I’ve faced it head on. I faced it in my community and I’m moving on.”
Hurlburt talks about the joy he receives from his family and in particular his grandchildren. Asked how many grandchildren he has he laughs and says, “Almost enough for a ball team.”
So does this all of this mean he doesn’t miss politics?
Au contraire.
“Absolutely, definitely I miss it. I’d be lying if I said anything else. I liked working with people. I liked being out there and seeing what we could accomplish,” says Hurlburt.
Would he ever consider jumping back in?
“Never say never,” he says. “But right now it’s not on my radar.”
“I want to support and work with my community and for my community . . . I have my grandchildren and my wife and my boys, I want them to be secure. I don’t want to see people leaving anymore,” he says. “Let’s do something for our economy. Lets maintain and expand what we have.”
At age 64, Hurlburt spends a lot of his time volunteering, which, in part, he can afford to do since he draws an MLA pension, a fact he doesn’t hide. He also doesn’t hide the fact he’s had turmoil in his life. But he says he’s moving on.
That turmoil began in February 2010 after the province’s auditor general at the time, Jacques Lapointe, filed a report noting that several Nova Scotian politicians had filed excessive or inappropriate claims. Hurlburt was one of those politicians.
Although he wasn’t the only big spender, his expenses, and how he initially reacted to the report, became amongst the most controversial. On social media comments were angry. Even vicious. Less than a week after the auditor general’s report was filed, and after around 10 years of representing the people of Yarmouth at the Legislature, Hurlburt tendered his resignation.
“It is with deep regret and sorrow that I advise I am tendering my resignation as MLA for Yarmouth and as a member of the Progressive Conservative Caucus,” he wrote in a Feb. 9, 2010 letter, saying he deeply regretted his error in judgment as noted in the auditor general’s report.
“My response to it has caused much anguish for my family, my community, my caucus, my party and individuals across Nova Scotia. I am truly sorry for this misstep and apologize to my constituents, all Nova Scotians, and my family for this pain and embarrassment.”
Hurlburt says resigning was the right and honourable thing to do.
THE GENERATOR
A particular lightning rod had been an $8,000 generator Hurlburt had installed in his home. People scoffed at his explanation that he had bought it for other groups to use. It became the butt of jokes and the target of anger. He did reimburse the province for this and all other expenses, which also included a wide-screen TV for his constiuency office that the auditor general had flagged as an excessive expense. People saw the MLA expenses as a betrayal of the public trust.
“Do you regret the generator?” he’s asked, while seated in the boardroom of the Yarmouth Vanguard for an interview.
“I regret a lot of things,” he says. “But I don’t regret doing things for my community and the people of my community. I’ll go to my grave with that.”
Hurlburt was eventually one of a handful of MLAs charged for their expenses, although he describes the expense rules of the past as being ‘loosey goosey’ in nature. The guidelines, he maintains, were all over the map. Even Lapointe had said at the time, “the rules were so ambiguous it’s hard to tell what’s right and wrong.”
That there was a review was a good thing, Hurlburt says.
Still, it was determined by the RCMP that some of Hurlburt’s expenses had crossed the line of just being excessive or inappropriate as the scandal moved into the courts. In July 2012 Hurlburt was sentenced to 12 months of house arrest after earlier pleading guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000 and one count of breach of trust involving $25,320.77 of fraudulent expense claims. He could have entered those guilty pleas in a Halifax courtroom, but he chose instead to do it in Yarmouth to "face his constituents," he had said at the time. Aside from house arrest, he was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and placed on probation.
On that day in court Hurlburt still had his supporters – family, friends and constituents. They exhaled a sigh of relief when he wasn’t sentenced to jail time. “He’s okay, no jail,” whispered one person inside the courtroom. “Phew,” responded another.
His house arrest included the usual court conditions that allowed him to be absent from his home for medical appointments, family medical emergencies, for employment, for appointments with his lawyer and when he was performing community service. But the judge ordered that while at his home he either had to be inside his residence, or if outdoors he could not be anymore than 100 feet, or 30 metres, from his house.
While people thought he got off easy because he wasn’t sentenced to jail, Hurlburt says house arrest isn't what people may think it is.
“Yes you’re not in the jail, but you’re confined. You have to do everything according to the guidelines that are laid out for you and it’s very strict,” he says. “It’s no walk in the park.”
HIS COMMUNITY
Although Hurlburt says he’s willing to talk about anything in this interview, from time to time you can tell doing so is uncomfortable for him.
Other times you see hints of the fighter Hurlburt had pledged to be for Yarmouth when he ran for provincial politics.
Hurlburt speaks out about things he feels needs attention.
Topping his list is the changes taking place in the health care sector as the provincial government moves towards decreasing the number of health districts to two – a provincial one and one for the IWK. The South West Health district is one of those that will soon disappear. This coupled with a cut in the number of health care bargaining units has health care and hospital workers feeling angst and uncertainty, Hurlburt says.
But they’re scared to speak out.
“It’s chaotic up there (at the Yarmouth hospital). You can complain about our health care but the front row workers deserve a pat on the back,” he says. “They’re always there for you when you need them and they’re going through a turmoil right now with the unions and the changing of the boards. No one knows what tomorrow is going to bring.”
He thinks Yarmouth still needs to see some sort of major industry come to town.
He also believes the airport is one of our most underutilized assets.
Asked if there is anything he would have liked to have accomplished while in provincial politics that he never got the chance to, without hesitation Hurlburt says he would have liked to have seen a revival of activity at the former Rio Algom tin mine.
“I worked on that file for the last two years I was there. I firmly believe to this day that there is a resource there that belongs to the people of Nova Scotia,” he says. “There’s a resource there that could be a huge economic benefit to our community and all of southwestern Nova Scotia. We should be doing everything to promote that to help the company that wants to rejuvenate the old Rio Algom site.”
Listening to Hurlburt talk, it almost sounds like he wants to make a comeback.
He admits people talk to him about it.
“They know that my heart is in the right place,” he says. “Everybody makes mistakes in life. I’ve dealt with that and I’ve faced it head on. I faced it in my community and I’m moving on.”
Hurlburt talks about the joy he receives from his family and in particular his grandchildren. Asked how many grandchildren he has he laughs and says, “Almost enough for a ball team.”
So does this all of this mean he doesn’t miss politics?
Au contraire.
“Absolutely, definitely I miss it. I’d be lying if I said anything else. I liked working with people. I liked being out there and seeing what we could accomplish,” says Hurlburt.
Would he ever consider jumping back in?
“Never say never,” he says. “But right now it’s not on my radar.”
