The sky is blue, and elections cost money. We all know this. Yet that latter fact seems to be quickly forgotten by politicians when it’s convenient for them.

Take the case of soon-to-be-former premier Jim Prentice. Mr. Prentice’s Progressive Conservatives lost the election, and as could be expected, Prentice resigned from the leadership of that party. In the same breath, though, he did something a little more surprising: he resigned his seat as MLA for Calgary-Foothills.

If you’re keeping track, in the past seven months we’ve had four by-elections at a cost of $1.1 million, one in Calgary-Foothills and a general election at a cost of $23.5 million. And within the next six months, the voters in Calgary-Foothills will return to the ballot booths a third time in a year for another by-election. Elections Alberta estimates the cost of that by-election to be $250,000.

Every single one of those elections were called or caused by Jim Prentice. And it would be the right thing to do if he, instead of the rest of us, started paying the financial price.

Prentice’s decision to hand us another $250,000 bill was a financial blindsiding. Albertans certainly didn’t expect on May 5^th that they would have to pay for yet another by-election. And they shouldn’t have to.

To be sure, we should not force people to serve as members of the legislature if they no longer have the drive to do so. Surely they wouldn’t be the best representatives. Similarly, we can’t force politicians to fund their own unnecessary by-elections. But in a unique case like this, it’s clear-cut. Prentice resigned immediately after winning his seat. Taxpayers received zero return on their investment. So Prentice should do the honourable thing and cover the $250,000 cost.

Thankfully, there’s precedence here. We need only look next door to British Columbia to see that a politician can, and indeed has, paid for his own by-election when he’s chosen to go in another direction.

Former Penticton Mayor Dan Ashton decided in 2013 that he no longer wanted to serve as mayor, and rather, he would run for provincial politics. He committed to repay the cost of the by-election. Shortly after being elected MLA, Ashton made good on his promise and presented a cheque for $32,000 to taxpayers to cover the costs.

Ashton told the Penticton Herald, “In good conscience, knowing the impact of those decisions on many, I cannot personally accept imposing an additional election expense onto Penticton citizens and taxpayers.”

Hear, hear.

The words “additional election expense” should ring true for Albertans.

The cost of politics in this country runs high, and there’s no doubt we compensate our politicians well. Prentice only served as an MLA for seven months. And to his credit, he cut MLA pay 5 per cent during his time in the Alberta legislature. However, his time in Ottawa was a tad more lucrative.

Prentice became eligible for his estimated annual MP pension of $41,805 for his time in Ottawa, when he turned 55 on June 20, 2011. Accounting for indexing, and assuming he lives until age 90 (as Canada’s Chief Actuary suggests former MPs will), his total estimated lifetime pension collected will be an astonishing $2.1 million. Just from 2011 to today, his total estimated MP pension collected is $174,778.

If Prentice can’t find the money to pay for the by-election, perhaps the PC Party has some leftover cash in their war chest that he could convince them to spare. If that fails, perhaps Prentice could see if any corporate donors want to step up, as if the NDP follow through on their election promise, corporations soon won’t be able to make donations to political parties in Alberta. If all else fails, Prentice could start fundraising, as many others have done when they’ve wanted or needed something they cannot afford.

Considering the current state of Alberta’s economy and the size of the debt already heaped on us, and the mountain yet to come, taxpayers just can’t afford to pay for this unnecessary by-election. Perhaps more importantly, we shouldn’t have to.

Paige MacPherson is the Alberta Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.