CALGARY, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is renewing its call for the taxpayer-funded Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) to retroactively post detailed expenses and receipts online, and for the Alberta government to make the ASBA subject to freedom of information requests, after obtaining a document revealing ASBA staff were treated to birthday and Christmas gifts and “team building” Easter egg hunts.

“First it was American conferences barely attended, in-town hotel stays and over-priced office rent, and now we see the ASBA is expensing birthday gifts and Easter egg hunts for adult staff,” said CTF Alberta Director Paige MacPherson. “What will it take for the ASBA to let the public see their past expenses and for the province to add them to the FOIP Act?”

An ASBA document titled Staff Item Information reveals ASBA staff members receive $50 birthday gift cards on top of ‘cake days’ celebrating office birthdays each month, in total costing $4,850 over the last three years.

“Most Albertans would be happy their boss acknowledged their birthday with a simple greeting card,” said MacPherson. “Since 2012, this taxpayer-funded organization has spent $4,850 on staff birthdays instead of on books for students.”

The document also outlines a staff Easter egg hunt, costing over $900 in 2014. For Christmas, ASBA staff members are each treated to a gift costing $100 to $150 – totalling $7,803 over the past three years. On top of that, three years of ASBA staff Christmas dinners cost over $5,000. 

“The obvious question is why would you hold an Easter egg hunt for adults? But just as important, how did it cost $900?” asked MacPherson. “Were these Easter eggs gold-plated?” 

In her February 7^th email, then-Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) chair and current Health Minister Sarah Hoffman seemed to have alluded to some of these expenses, noting: “When my alternate shared information regarding staff appreciation, I was shocked. I understand that some may not want to share this information, but I feel our members have a right to know how their fees were spent last year…”

The ASBA also treated staff to Taste of Edmonton tickets costing $1,600 in 2014 and around $1,000 each of the two years prior. In addition, “Team Building/Staff Appreciation” lunches cost $2,696 over the past three years.

Despite having ‘lovely’ offices in Edmonton, staff planning events were held at some of Edmonton’s most upscale locales. A December 2012 planning session was held at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, and a January 2014 planning session was held at the Royal Glenora. The events cost nearly $8,000 each.

School boards are meeting this weekend in Edmonton for the ASBA fall general meeting.

“This weekend all 61 school boards should be demanding a detailed accounting of how the ASBA is spending taxpayer dollars,” said MacPherson. “Minister Eggen should not send another dollar to the ASBA until everyone is confident it won’t end up funding yet another staff Easter egg hunt. 

The ASBA website lists 22 staff members.

The total spending on staff gifts, meals, recognition and planning events was more than $41,000 between 2012 and 2014.

The CTF released emails questioning ASBA spending earlier this week.

The staff recognition document obtained by the CTF can be viewed here.

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For more information:

CTF Alberta Director Paige MacPherson
cell: 403-478-7184, office: 403-475-6207, email: [email protected]