The Alison Redford transgressions thread. Update- Redford quits.

[kermitology]

I can see having her role for things like organizing transportation, some scouting shortly before the intended travel and arranging various meetings, dinners, and events, but not at that detail and cost. Basically going a week or two in advance and then doing that job.

In my experience travelling internationally for work, having someone on the ground to help you get required visa's arranging hotel, meetings, etc. is highly useful in making the trip efficient and successful. The big issue here is the timing and the attitude of Redford.

[GP_Matt]

As well as the phrasing.

"The translator will have to be in the vehicle to provide instructions to the driver. We can instruct the translator not to speak to Premier"

[Kjesse]

Maybe this should be renamed the PC transgressions thread?

Lucaszuk was reimbursed 20k by the government for roaming charges he racked up on a personal trip to Israel.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Delgar

Maybe this should be renamed the PC transgressions thread?

Lucaszuk was reimbursed 20k by the government for roaming charges he racked up on a personal trip to Israel.

That's not entirely true. He was there on vacation (travel expenses paid on his own dime), but people at that level never really get 100% away from their work. He claims the roaming charges were incurred for the purposes of conducting government business, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I've seen my own father, who is not a deputy premier, make business calls and answer work emails while ostensibly on "vacation" in Europe.

Of course, the real question is, "Why didn't Lucaszuk have an international roaming plan?" How many stories have their been over the past few years of Canadians racking up $10k+ in cell phone charges while travelling overseas? Would it really have been so hard to get his assistant to temporarily add international roaming to his plan prior to departure? It's either stupidity or laziness not to.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

That's not entirely true. He was there on vacation (travel expenses paid on his own dime), but people at that level never really get 100% away from their work. He claims the roaming charges were incurred for the purposes of conducting government business, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I've seen my own father, who is not a deputy premier, make business calls and answer work emails while ostensibly on "vacation" in Europe.

Of course, the real question is, "Why didn't Lucaszuk have an international roaming plan?" How many stories have their been over the past few years of Canadians racking up $10k+ in cell phone charges while travelling overseas? Would it really have been so hard to get his assistant to temporarily add international roaming to his plan prior to departure? It's either stupidity or laziness not to.

Maybe he should hire someone to pre-scout the best cell phone plans in foreign countries for him.

[Slava]

First of all, I can't stand Lukaszuk. Second though, the fact that a company can send that invoice and expect to have it paid is basically criminal. The telecommunications industry in Canada is ridiculous.

[GP_Matt]

I don't like the PCs or even Lukaszuk all that much, but find myself agreeing with Slava on this one.

I take my company phone with me on vacation and have never been given any grief about the charges. Although I do typically have a plan setup before I leave.

[Slava]

I set up a plan before I leave as well. It's just that $20, 000?! You can buy a car for that and you would have to be approved for the dealer to carry that. I guess the cellphone company just trusts that you make the payment though. Makes complete sense... I mean you probably pay $100/month for the phone, so naturally you can just swing $20k.

Anyway, I don't want to derail things, I just think that's completely ridiculous. I read somewhere else that another MLA had like $15k in charges and appealed it down to $190. Just shows that the companies realise how dumb the entire scenario is.

[GP_Matt]

My last bill came back in at $1000 for a two week vacation with minimal use. The phone was turned off a lot but I did send and receive email from time to time. I had a plan ordered, but they didn't apply it properly. When I called about it it was dropped down to $250.

Unfortunately, with security on these devices you can't just unlock it and use a local SIM. I am sure the Alberta Government doesn't allow that either.

[Kjesse]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

That's not entirely true. He was there on vacation (travel expenses paid on his own dime), but people at that level never really get 100% away from their work. He claims the roaming charges were incurred for the purposes of conducting government business, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Well my statement was entirely true, but Lukaszuk's certainly wasn't in that he left something out which makes me wonder.

When we took the trip, he was accompanied by a senior lawyer at the law firm which was handling the business that was apparently urgent and was what the 20K roaming fees were for.

Its strange he didn't say so in his statement. So I don't give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Flacker]

I would never travel for work without first talking to someone to make sure I have a roaming plan for where ever I may end up.

The fact that an MLA wouldn't even think of this, is a sign of the entitlement these jackasses possess. We need way tighter cost control and auditing, the days of trusting "professionals" to do the right thing are gone.

Federal and provincial governments are both guilty.

[Tyler]

Look, I think the guy is a sleazeball opportunist who would throw his own mother under a bus just to get the Premier job, but he is a friggin' MLA. He has staff and IT people who should be buying roaming packages and worrying about that crap for him.

The last thing people in his position of power should be concerned with are data roaming charges.

[smoothpops]

I wonder if he wrote his meals off as a business expense?

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Look, I think the guy is a sleazeball opportunist who would throw his own mother under a bus just to get the Premier job, but he is a friggin' MLA. He has staff and IT people who should be buying roaming packages and worrying about that crap for him.

The last thing people in his position of power should be concerned with are data roaming charges.

Agreed completely at some point it really shouldn't be on him. And honestly $20k? Slava has covered it but the point really does need to be belabored, on no place on Earth is a $20,000 bill remotely reasonable. Cell phone companies that issue these charges and expect payment should be getting fined for price gouging quite frankly.

$20,000 for a monthly phone bill might be reasonable if the year was 1670 and you were using the only phone bill invented, 300 years before the actual invention of the cell phone. Then maybe the super rare cell phone could be worth $20,000 per month as you'd be regarded as a demi-God among ants.

[Nufy]

Why couldn't he use the hotel Wifi ?

Too Expensive to add to the room charge ?

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Nufy

Why couldn't he use the hotel Wifi ?

Too Expensive to add to the room charge ?

He claimed that the hotel wi-fi was not secure. Whether that excuse is acceptable or not I will leave as an exercise to the reader.

[GP_Matt]

I am pretty sure that hotel wifi is terribly unsecure.

Most hotels have the same password for every guest and it never changes.

Additionally, my understanding of Wifi is that the signal is encrypted using the password so anyone with the password should be able to access the data.

[lifetime_flamesfan]

The only two things anyone needs to know about Lukaszuk is that he was Redford's right hand man when she was in power (which he now takes every chance to throw her under the bus) and that during the last election he got into a fight with an elderly man on his porch. Now whether or not the elderly man ask Lukaszuk nicely to leave, Lukaszuk should have left immediately but he didn't.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by lifetime_flamesfan

The only two things anyone needs to know about Lukaszuk is that he was Redford's right hand man when she was in power (which he now takes every chance to throw her under the bus) and that during the last election he got into a fight with an elderly man on his porch. Now whether or not the elderly man ask Lukaszuk nicely to leave, Lukaszuk should have left immediately but he didn't.

Yup, as much as he's recreating history now with his, I was fighting Alison all the way blargle. He was the guy standing behind her screaming at reporters that how dare they question the travel costs of a working mother.

I doubt very much that he wins the leadership of the PC's he's got too much dirt under his finger nails. Its pretty much a two horse race that's not really a two horse race.

I didn't realize how weak the PC party's bull pen was in terms of leadership potential.

[killer_carlson]

I think Lukazuk's end game hasn't been Premier for a while now. I think he's setting himself up to run for MP or to take a run at the Mayor chair in Edmonton.