October 14th
Brent Wittmeier, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - A top administrator in St. Paul used his government job to try to influence the recent Progressive Conservative leadership race.

Ron Boisvert, St. Paul’s chief administration officer, used his municipal email address and contact list on Sept. 22 to try to sway voter strategy to ensure Lac La Biche-St. Paul MLA Ray Danyluk remained in cabinet.

Boisvert is on the board of Danyluk’s riding association.

The email advises 80 individuals — town employees, council members, business owners — how to vote strategically in the Oct. 1, second-ballot PC leadership vote. To ensure then-infrastructure minister Danyluk would remain in cabinet, Boisvert suggests voting for Doug Horner, with Alison Redford as a second choice.

“Anybody can vote how they want. However, in order to keep Ray in a ministry position, either Horner or Redford has to get in as premier,” Boisvert writes. “It is imperative for future funding that Ray remains in a powerful position.”

On Oct. 1, Horner won 79 per cent of first choice votes in the constituency. When those 1,566 votes were redistributed after he was dropped from the ballot, 1,174 went to Redford, 138 went to Mar, while 254 listed no second choice.

Premier Alison Redford named Danyluk transportation minister on Wednesday.

Boisvert couldn’t be reached for comment, but St. Paul Mayor Glenn Andersen called the email “an error in judgment.” As a result, town council is upgrading its policy on personal computer use in the workplace, he said.

“A click of the send can put you into this position, and we believe that’s what happened,” Andersen said. “Council decided at our last meeting that we’re going to update our policies to take that into effect.”

Andersen wouldn’t comment on disciplinary actions Boisvert might face, calling it “a personnel issue. That was up to council and he will be dealt with.”

Wildrose MLA Paul Hinman said that although the email isn’t that troubling on the surface, it illustrates the “systemic” connection between backing the right leader, getting a local MLA into cabinet, and then receiving funding as a result.

“It goes without saying, you get behind and support your PC MLA, otherwise you might jeopardize funding for your community or your organization” said Hinman, the party’s Municipal Affairs critic. The Wildrose favours a funding formula to guide local government spending.

Raj Sherman, leader of the Alberta Liberal party, said the email points to an “undemocratic” culture among the Progressive Conservatives.

“I was there in the party, I was there, I saw it,” he said Thursday. “It’s a culture of entitlement and backroom deals, and buddies getting contracts, and buddies supporting their buddies in the PC party so they get favours.”

Danyluk said he doesn’t have “direct correlation” with Boisvert, who is one of about 80 volunteers in his constituency, and that he didn’t know about the email.

“I don’t believe it’s appropriate to send that information from a municipal email,” Danyluk said. “I wish I would have had knowledge before.”

Danyluk dismissed allegations that a cabinet post results in greater funding, insisting all applications come through the same evaluation process. Projects in a cabinet minister’s constituency might get more scrutiny to avoid accusations of bias, he added.

“Each and every MLA tries to work for their constituency. But in actuality, every project has to be approved by merit.”

St. Paul council also paid Boisvert $500 of town funds for the Cormorant Classic, a June 30 Lac La Biche golf tournament organized in support of Danyluk. Council minutes show that the tournament fees were paid so Boisvert, Andersen and councillors Gary Ward and Don Padlesky could play. Town employees wrote the instructions, “Please give check to Ron” on a tournament poster that prominently featured Danyluk and the PC logo.

Alberta’s Election Finances Act specifies that a municipality can’t contribute to a political party.

Danyluk said the decision to pay the green fees was the responsibility of the municipality, but that officials should have participated solely as individuals.

Andersen said the tournament has been held for several years and that town employees played on their own time.

“If we’re in violation of something, we don’t know it,” Andersen said, adding that he raised the concern in the most recent council meeting. “We’d like to check it out with Municipal Affairs, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Andersen said the town has hosted several political figures, including Danielle Smith, Alison Redford and Gary Mar. When local politicians have hosted golf tournaments for then-premier Ed Stelmach and Conservative MP Maxime Bernier, councillors paid their own way.

“The councillors have paid for their own way to go to these things when we recognize it’s some sort of political fundraiser,” Andersen said. “But if we don’t realize it, I think that’s what happened.”

Sherman said it’s difficult to believe St. Paul council didn’t know the tournament was a fundraiser.

“Oh, come on, they’re insulting Albertans’ intelligence,” Sherman said. “I guess the question is what would the real St. Paul think about what the heck’s happening in St. Paul? He’d turn over in his grave right now.”