Premier’s senior staff member will repay COVID-19 hotel isolation expense from January
A senior member of Premier Jason Kenney’s communications team will repay about $1,400 in expenses that included a downtown Calgary hotel room and meals while he isolated following a positive COVID-19 test.
Brock Harrison, executive director of communications and planning for the premier of Alberta took a bus from Edmonton to Calgary ahead of a trip to Washington D.C. with premier Kenney in January. He received a positive pre-departure test result ahead of his flight to the US capital.
“He immediately isolated in his hotel room in accordance with Alberta Health rules, and continued to work remotely,” read a statement from press secretary Justin Brattinga.
“As he lives in Edmonton and took public transit to Calgary for work, there was no way for him to return home without interacting with numerous people and exposing them to COVID-19.”
Harrison expensed a $1218.62 hotel stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott on Tenth Ave S.W., along with six days worth of meal allowances at $32.35 per day, for a total of $1412.72 between January 26th and February 1st.
Last summer, the province disbanded the isolation hotel program that allowed Albertans to quarantine, following a positive result.
Following his isolation, Harrison flew back to Edmonton.
The premier’s office said that Harrison followed all the rules when expensing his stay, but added that he will repay the full amount.
“Despite the fact that Mr. Harrison followed the rules and was transparent with his expenses, out of respect for taxpayers, Mr. Harrison is reimbursing the GOA for expenses incurred,” said Brattinga.
Alberta’s NDP says Harrison should never have expensed the quarantine in the first place.
“I can’t imagine there is a justification for this,” said labour critic Christina Gray.
“The majority of Albertans today, do not have paid sick leave and this high paid, $180,000 a year government staffer gets a hotel stay with room service for his isolation.”
We reached out to Harrison for comment, to which he replied he had nothing further to add.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.