If the Alberta government is looking for cost savings, here’s a good place to start.

A CTV Calgary story has revealed that hundreds of Alberta Health Services (AHS) managers are taking months of sick leave at a time, costing taxpayers at a time when budgets are tight.

AHS managers are entitled to four months – 16 weeks – of sick time at full pay, and according to documents obtained by CTV, hundreds of them are taking full advantage of that entitlement.

Just last year AHS said they would crack down on sick days. It’s not surprising that this is still an issue. What’s surprising is that the government gave AHS a funding increase without even following up on this to ensure sick days were not being abused.

This is about smart spending vs. frivolous spending. The government is saying there’s no room to cut without slashing and burning frontline services – well this ain’t a frontline service. Bringing benefits in line with those of other Albertan workers just makes sense.

According to the story, AHS said four months of fully-paid sick time isn’t excessive. But it goes without saying that this is completely out of touch with the realities of other workers in Alberta who don’t happen to be employed by a government agency.

Obviously, sick people should not be at work, particularly in health care. Legitimate illness is cause for time off, but AHS employees should deal with this in the same manner as other Albertans – with reasonable sick time allotments and other measures that can be taken in cases of longer-term illness. A well-used entitlement to four months at full salary is beyond out of touch.

As pressures on our health care system grow with an aging population, the government must ensure health spending is addressing pressing health care needs, but should be looking at how to spend better – not spend more. Businesses and households reallocate spending all the time, and government should do the same.

Unfortunately, the Alberta government is refusing to have a necessary conversation about government employee compensation and benefits. In cases like these, it’s a needless waste of money that government is borrowing on the taxpayer credit card.

The PCs certainly didn’t run such a tight ship that there truly is no room to constrain costs. How many more cases like these exist in the government employee sector? It’s time for Premier Notley to start looking.