Alberta premier’s assistant racks up $9,000 hotel tab, renewing criticism of government spending

The Alberta government's energy revenues aren't as hefty as they once were and its debt has been growing but, looking at Brad Stables' hotel tab, you might not know that.

Premier Alison Redford's executive assist has racked up more than $9,000 in bills at Edmonton's posh Fairmont Hotel Macdonald for 42 nights since he took the job last spring, The Canadian Press reports.

The revelation, based on travel receipts posted online, is more grist for critics still angry at Redford and Stables billing taxpayers $45,000 to fly to South Africa to attend Nelson Mandela's funeral.

The nightly rate of about $200 is actually a good deal, Redford's flack tells CP. Stables gets the government rate.

"[Stables] calls the Calgary area home, so never charges the taxpayer for accommodations when he is in Calgary," Neala Barton told CP via email. "When he assists the premier in Edmonton, he requires accommodation.

"When the legislature isn’t sitting, [Stables] spends significantly less time in Edmonton, meaning it's unlikely taxpayers would receive value for money were he to acquire an apartment in the city and receive a standard housing allowance."

[ Related: Alberta floods push federal deficit to $3.8B ]

OK, so maybe renting a furnished apartment by the week or month is impractical. It also wouldn't have room service and daily housekeeping.

Indeed, the Macdonald's web site says its rooms currently start around $250 a night. But a bargain?

A quick look at Hotel.com for downtown Edmonton hotels turns up plenty of accommodations well below $200 at places that aren't exactly fleabags.

Stables' digs on the road are also top shelf, CP said. Receipts show he spent $1,304 for a three-night stay at the Chateau Lake Louise for a conference at the swanky mountain resort last fall.

The bills provide more ammunition for the Progressive Conservative government's critics who say that, at a time when oil and gas prices are soft, the royalty-dependent government should be more careful with its money.

Opposition Wildrose finance critic Rob Anderson told CP Stables' hotel tab show Redford's team is out of touch.

"In most galaxies when you get a job out of town you pay for your own housing," said Anderson. "I'm not quite sure why he couldn't cover those charges himself."

To be fair, Stables' name does not appear on the Alberta government's sunshine list disclosing the salaries of public servants earning more than $100,000 in pay and benefits.

[ Related: Redford’s $45K Mandela funeral trip may signal bigger spending issues ]

Farouk Adatia is there, though. Redford's chief of staff earns a tidy $316,000 at a time when the provincial government is hammering out lean wage deals with other public servants, arguing Albertans must "live within our means," CP observed.

"They (the Tories) don't care about taxpayer dollars," Anderson said. "They spend whatever the hell they want and taxpayers can just suck it up.”

The situation has caused some grumbling in the Tory backbench. While most of Redford's caucus closed ranks around Redford over the high bill for the South African trip, Edmonton MLA Steve Young said the cost was "inconsistent with Alberta values," the Calgary Herald reported.

Redford, through Neala Barton, shrugged off the criticism.

"Steve Young simply echoed what the premier herself said — that mistakes were made and that she was disappointed by the costs," Barton told the Herald.

"The premier has apologized and taken responsibility. That's precisely what she'll communicate to her caucus."

Young, however, potentially faces discipline from caucus.