B.C. releases MLA travel expenses after scathing report on legislative finances

VICTORIA – For the first time, the B.C. government has released the travel expenses of MLAs after a scathing report by the auditor general said the legislature’s financial books were a mess.

The expenses cover the first six months of this fiscal year, from April 1 to Sept. 30, and show B.C.’s 85 MLAs spent a total of $1.5 million.

The biggest spender was New Democrat Robin Austin, who billed $53,606 during the period, followed by Liberal Bill Barisoff, the speaker of the house, whose expenses were $46,410, and Norm MacDonald, another New Democrat, who billed $45,332.

Barisoff says B.C. residents want accountability on how their tax dollars are spent, and the release of the travel expenses helps meet that expectation.

But the posting of the expenses came only after Auditor General John Doyle released a report this summer, saying the financial books of the B.C. legislature were so chaotic that it was impossible to tell if money was being well spent.

Doyle’s report found that MLA credit card bills are being paid without receipts and the legislative assembly hasn’t produced financial statements despite a 2007 recommendation from the previous auditor general.