• FOIPs show Sandhu expensed $89,000 in flights over 28 months with little accountability
• Former RMWB employee requests release from non-disclosure agreement

CALGARY, AB: Today the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released the second part of its investigation into financial irregularities in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) as it posted the expenses of recently resigned bureaucrats online.

“These documents continue to raise lots of questions about how taxpayers money was spent in Wood Buffalo,” said CTF Alberta Director Derek Fildebrandt.

The documents obtained through FOIP by the CTF shows that Sudhir Sandhu billed taxpayers for at least $89,000 in airfare between May 2011 and August 2013. This includes regular, unlimited “Prairie Regional” passes early in his employment, graduating to “Western Transborder” passes with Air Canada later on, which allow for destinations such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. RMWB officials told the CTF that it did not require Sandhu to keep records of flights taken with these passes.

Anonymous whistle-blowers have told the CTF that the use of these unlimited flight passes warrant a much closer look.

Also included in Sandhu’s expenses were:

• At least two expensive trips to Singapore, with no explanation of the charges, costing at least $8,285 in airfare alone;
• $322.56 for “masala, cinnamon, and ginger” scented soaps;”
• $283.37 from a toy store with an unreadable receipt;
• $281.81 for books; and
• A heavily redacted document with an unexplained hand written note about a “Vegas Conference.”

Whistler blowers have also told the CTF that expenses claimed during the last months of Sandhu’s employment – not covered by these FOI documents – requires additional examination.

Laubenstein’s expenses included:

• $704.52 for airfare and hotels to attend the “Premier’s Dinner” fundraiser for the Progressive Conservative party, effectively subsidizing a party donation and political activity with taxpayers’ money.
• $2,295 for membership fees and other bills for professional associations.

A backgrounder on Sandhu and Laubenstein’s expense claims can be found HERE.

Since the CTF released the details of between $6.6 million and  $7 million in severance payments to former RMWB employees fired without cause, one employee – Andrew Stuckey – has come forward to the CTF, asking it to advocate for him and other fired employees to be released from their non-disclosure agreements.

“The CTF is calling on the RMWB’s council to release these people from their gag-orders so that they can speak freely about any potential improprieties that may have occurred while they were employed with the RMWB.” Fildebrandt added.

To view the CTF’s FOI documents click here: http://taxpayer.com/blog/wood-buffalo-expenses-foips

To view the CTF’s backgrounder into the expense claims click here: http://taxpayer.com/media/Wood%20Buffalo%20Expense%20Backgrounder(1).pdf