Alison Redford’s India Trip Cost $11,000 More Than Estimate

EDMONTON – The bill for AlisonRedford’s final trip as premier of Albertahas come in at $131,000 — and includestaxpayer-funded flights to London for aprivate weekend getaway.Overall costs for the two-week Januarytrip were released Wednesday by theInternational and IntergovernmentalRelations Department. Itemized receiptsare to be posted online next month.The trade mission and networking trip toIndia and Switzerland included astopover for private time in London thatwas not on the original itinerary.Redford had planned to visit Canadiantroops in Afghanistan for two days, butthat was cancelled due to a flare-up ofviolence. Instead, Redford, her chief ofstaff Farouk Adatia and Redford aideBrad Stables flew to London for theweekend at taxpayer expense, said DerekCummings, press secretary for thedepartment.He said the flight costs wereconsidered government business becauseRedford was still in the middle of her tripand her travel plans changed due toevents beyond her control.”They wouldn’thave flown home (at that time).”Allother expenses for London were coveredby the participants personally, Cummingssaid. NDP critic Rachel Notley suggestedRedford could have thought of taxpayersfirst and stayed in India a couple moredays when the Afghanistan trip changed.”There’s no rationale for the citizens ofAlberta to be paying for a shopping spreein London,” said Notley.”This is a government so deeplyenmeshed in its sense of entitlement thatthey don’t see the irony, given they’re(also) going about trying to takeresources away from middle-classAlbertans every day.”Redford quit as premier last week amidescalating revelations of lavish spendingon herself and her inner circle, includinga $45,000 trip to Nelson Mandela’s funeraland government plane trips for herdaughter’s friends.The final bill of $131,000 is $11,000more than budgeted due to unexpectedhosting expenses, said Cummings.Much of the bill — about $101,000 —paid to fly Redford, two members of thelegislature and four members ofRedford’s inner circle to India, aroundIndia and beyond. Another $19,500 wentto accommodations and $497 wasclaimed for food. In India, Redford’steam signed a memorandum of understandingand a statement of co-operationto increase agriculture trade.The trip wasvalue for money, said Cummings. “If youtalk to the companies that were there, ifyou look at the agricultural agreementswe were able to sign, promoting the new(trade) office in Delhi, the meetings thatwere held, it was a successful mission.”