Alberta’s opposition Wildrose Party released documents today showing that Michele Lahey, the former executive vice-president and chief operating officer for the former Capital Health Authority, was reimbursed by Alberta taxpayers for a $6,230 bill from the Mayo Clinic.
Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk, who appeared personally bereft of even the first whit of any factual information about the case, opined “It is very possible this individual went to this clinic for a meeting and actually was at a seminar for two or three days.”
Possible, yes, but not very possible:
The Wildrose said it appears the trip was personal because there’s no mention in the documents of a work-related conference. Lahey also did not claim any airfare.
Guess we’ll have to turn to AHS for answers:
AHS spokesman Kerry Williamson said the department won’t be investigating…”Alberta Health Services isn’t going to speculate or comment on the past.”
Why would they?
Spending by health bureaucrats has been under the microscope since last year, when it was revealed that former AHS financial officer Allaudin Merali charged taxpayers almost $370,000 for lavish restaurant meals, repairs to his Mercedes Benz, and a butler.
Never a dull moment with Lukaszuk batting cleanup for Redfraud.
Socialism is for the people, not the socialist.
Politicians and their minions are pigs at the trough. Nothing more. I just had to say that.
The crash is coming and they will all be out of work … at least they should be.
Terribly OT:
“President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Department of Labor engaged in a quid pro quo that could have cost taxpayers $200 million and covered up the activity, according to a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform report released late Sunday.
The committee’s report details then-Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez’s involvement in a St. Paul, Minn. settlement that helped preserve the dubious legal doctrine of “disparate impact,” which enables minorities to allege discrimination based upon outcomes, rather than overt discrimination.
“We have found that Mr. Perez inappropriately used a whistleblower as bargaining chip and passed on an opportunity to collect $200 million for taxpayers,” Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) said in a release. “This occurred as part of a deal he arranged to ensure an ideological pet policy of the Obama Administration would avoid Supreme Court scrutiny.””
http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=180932
It must be all of 2 weeks ago since the last scandal with UN shill Redford’s gang.
Hope all you who voted for this Communist crook, are pleased with yourselves. You have destroyed Alberta, for a half eaten maggot cookie.
Plunged us into a deficit of stellar proportions.
You killed Albertas soul on that day. May you enjoy the swill of corruption she hands out.
Ralph was no Conservative but he was honest . He never had to lie about a deficit. Every years we got closer to being out of debt. With your choice they get rich while, our people flounder.You remember the severely normal Albertans.
travelling south of the border is no big deal, if done for the rite reason, but the “reason” should be outed and scutinized, I have friends that have cost OHIP millions for health care in USA, bvut now that we have the treatment here in Ont., they no longer go south. Except for this past march, my friend went to the Mayo for diagnosis as 10 years in Ont. provided no answers, but 1 trip to the Mayo, now she has an answer.
Biased media alert. If anything demonstrates the incompetence and corruption of the PC party, neither the Edmonton Journal or the Calgary Herald allow comments,.
They cant be bothered to investigate…… It’s only 6k of taxpayers money.
Jason Kenney was right Lukaszuk is an asshole.
During the election the peecees did their best to paint the wild rose as rookies, not to be trusted with governing. Redford is an inept bungler who should be ousted before her term is up.
Ralph took the high jump and Stelmach got the boot.
Umm…$6230.00 at the Mayo Clinic…emergency pimple squeezing.?..
“AHS spokesman Kerry Williamson said the department won’t be investigating…”Alberta Health Services isn’t going to speculate or comment on the past.””
So let me see if I’ve got this right. Dipping into the treasury for personal use is acceptable so long as it happened prior to when the theft was brought to everyone’s attention. In other words, in the “past”. Following that convoluted line of reasoning, a thieving politician or bureaucrat must be caught in the act in order to suffer the consequences. What a strange world we live in.
When Jean Crouton jumped the Canadian medical queue by going to the Mayo Clinic, he got the RCAF to fly him there, wait for him and fly him home.
Not a peep out of the CBCand the rest of the crap media.
Here, once again, we have to remember that this is how socialism is supposed to work. The cream always rises to the top. Unfortunately, so does the pond scum.
It’s been obvious for some time that the Alberta PCs have gone full red – but here is the tell tale sign of decadent socialists unapologetically helping themselves to public funds for their personal expenses. And the example was set from the top down.
What would Kerry Williamson say if, the next time his or her house is burglarized, the cops decide they’re not going to bother to investigate something that happened in the past?
Oh THAT Thomas Lukaszuk with the douchebag haircut who called the cops when gramps shoved him off his porch?
“…Hope all you who voted for this Communist crook, are pleased with yourselves…”
Yup, Alberta puzzles me.
Unlike Ontario, you had a true conservative contender with guts, smarts and ideas, and you chose Redford instead. So much for the image of rugged individualism and independence.
I’m getting a bumper-sticker made that says:
If you voted for McGuinty, take a bow.
You did your part for Ontario’s collapse.
$6,230 fails the materiality test, just like $16 orange juice and $3,000 fundraising by Rob Ford.
Let’s focus on 10 digit sums first. That would be material.
I assume you’re joking/being sarcastic, but IF the executive vice-president and chief operating officer for the Capital Health authority — i.e. a high-level bureaucrat in our mandated public healthcare rationing system — flew to the US for expedited medical treatment at a private clinic and subsequently billed the taxpayers for it, it would definitely be “material” in a way that isn’t about the number of digits in the expense claim.
Alberta ceased to be a conservative province in 1971 when lougheed first formed a majority. He was a reckless spender who meddled in business. He was followed by ‘progressives’ who talked liked conservatives but few really were.
Ralph did the best but he was afraid of the public service unions (teachers/nurses) and basically gave them what they wanted.
The Alberta PC’s continued to provide leaders much like the federal liberals have done. Uninspired, unprincipled party hacks who only wish to sit in the big chair.
Propped up by oil money these premiers were seldom challenged as they easily occupied the left while the right slept. We have now arrived where we are. In debt, both morally and financially and governed by a premier and party who bring nothing to the table except more of the same.
Those of us who were conservatives and supported the regime over it’s existence are to blame. Among ourselves we occasionally discussed the fact that we didn’t like the direction of the various PC governments but in the end did nothing. We are to blame.
One can only hope that 3 years from now the government will change. It will not swing hard right as there are few real conservatives in the province, certainly not enough to sway a government. The Wild Rose will have to soften it’s image and I believe it will. It will have to in order to win in the cities. It will be a centre government with right leaning (lower case). Here’s hoping.
Btw, as for Lukaszuk’s “I-have-zero-knowledge-but-I’ll-defend-her-anyway” statement that “It is very possible this individual went to this clinic for a meeting and actually was at a seminar for two or three days“, here’s a salient piece of information from Liberal MLARaj Sherman:
A little background might be in order. Sheila Weatherill is the former chief of the now defunct Capital Health region. Capital Health region was the envy of Canada. Calgary Health region on the other hand was close to the being the worst run heath region in Canada. In its infinite wisdom the provincial government decided to make Alberta one big health region and fired all existing regional heads including Sheila Weatherill. Sheila was subsequently rehired in a supervisory role and has been less than stellar ever since. According to reports Ms Weatherill offered government largess to pay for an underling’s cancer related second opinion at the Mayo. Moral of the story don’t try to cover someone’s incompetence by firing everybody in a similar position. If you fire such a person don’t rehire them as they undoubtedly bear a grudge and can do a lot to embarrass you and you can’t fire them lest your previous incompetence come to light again.