"There’s no doubt about the importance of having good access to information law that we can rely on." - John Williamson fed. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Chronicle Herald story prompts new rules for Marine Atlantic execs
By STEPHEN MAHER Ottawa Bureau
Sat. Aug 2 - 5:52 AM
OTTAWA — Marine Atlantic has tightened its spending rules for executives and board members after an investigation by The Chronicle Herald drew attention to the corporation's free-spending ways.
Federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon ordered an audit of executive expense and hospitality spending after a 2006 story in The Chronicle Herald revealed that then-chairman Vince MacLean and three executives travelled to Greece and stayed at the luxurious Astir Palace Resort in Athens in October 2006 at the cost of $18,857.81.
The Chronicle Herald recently obtained a copy of the audit, which found that Marine Atlantic didn't always follow its own rules and recommended that it tighten its expense system.
The 2006 story — based on documents unearthed through access-to-information legislation — also revealed tens of thousands of dollars in spending on golf, fine dining, travel and alcohol, including travel expenses for the spouses of board members and executives.
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The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says Mr. Cannon does deserve credit for making changes at Marine Atlantic.
"It sounds encouraging when stories like this are reported," said John Williamson, the group's federal director. "The minister takes action and at the end of the day, there's a replacement at the helm of this Crown (corporation)."
Mr. Williamson, whose organization objected strongly to the spending revealed by The Chronicle Herald, said the story shows why it is important to have public access to government documents.
"There's no doubt about the importance of having good access to information law that we can rely on," he said.
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