Krueger 13th among B.C. MLAs in travel expenses

Share this story

Tweet

Kamloops MLA Kevin Krueger didn’t quite crack the top 10, but the latest travel-expense summaries from Victoria show the outgoing Kamloops-South Thompson Liberal MLA had the 13th-highest expenditures during the final nine months of 2012.

All told, the two local MLAs billed taxpayers for $55,105, with $47,567 of that coming from Krueger.

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake had $7,538 in travel expenses between April 1 and Dec. 31, 2012.

However, that number does not take into account expenses from his role as minister of environment, which are reported separately and on a different schedule.

According to the most recent ministerial expense report, Lake had $22,571 in travel expenses as of Nov. 30, 2012.

Krueger spent $9,000 on accommodations in Victoria and $3,663 on per-diem expenses.

MLAs get $61 per day while in the capital on legislative business and are not required to provide receipts on per-diem spending.

Krueger claimed $23,592 in general travel expenses and another $3,564 for in-consituency travel.

Lake claimed no accommodation expenses and $4,736 in travel within his riding.

This is the second time travel expenses for B.C. MLAs have been released.

The information includes accommodation allowances in Victoria for members outside the Lower Mainland.

Total expenses for all 85 MLAs were $2.3 million.

At the top of the expenses list was Skeena New Democrat MLA Robin Austin, with just over $75,000 in travel costs.

The first disclosure came in October and followed a report from the provincial auditor general decrying the state of the legislature’s finances.