Vancouver-West End NDP MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert was forced to explain Thursday why taxpayers are footing the bill for thousands of dollars in helicopter rides to Vancouver when his permanent residence is now in Colwood, 14 kilometres from the B.C. legislature.
BC United MLA Trevor Halford raised the issue during question period, saying B.C. taxpayers deserve accountability.
Halford said since Chandra Herbert moved his primary residence to Greater Victoria in 2019, he’s billed for $70,000 in travel expenses.
MLAs are not required to live in their ridings, but the question in the House Thursday revolved around how much they should spend to travel to them.
BC United Leader Kevin Falcon in a news conference afterward suggested Chandra Herbert’s constituents should have been made aware of his residence change in the 2020 provincial election.
B.C. United released documents showing Chandra Herbert purchased a waterfront home in Colwood in 2019 for $827,500. Chandra Herbert said he initially rented out his Vancouver residence and by December 2020, he disclosed he had just one residence, in Colwood.
Chandra Herbert told media that when in Vancouver, he lives with his in-laws, where he hasn’t paid rent until this past year. Given there’s been no tenancy agreement or payments to declare, it hasn’t shown up in previous disclosure statements as his residence.
BC United released documents showing Chandra Herbert’s single-day travel expenses of over $400 and $500 for travel between the Island and Vancouver on days the House was not sitting.It also pointed to a Sept. 25, 2022 expense claim of $238.35 for Chandra Herbert to drive from his home in Colwood to a caucus meeting in Parksville. He claimed expenses such as mileage for travelling between his Colwood home and the legislature 12 times, of which nine were were accepted, according to BC United.
Falcon said he’ll await more information but thus far, “it doesn’t pass the smell test to British Columbians” to have an MLA racking up $70,000 in travel expenses between Victoria and Vancouver.
Chandra Herbert made an appearance outside the House Thursday to explain he’s been living in his waterfront Colwood home since 2020 to care for his now kindergarten-age son, who had become sick while in Victoria and began receiving care at Victoria General Hospital.
“Yes I’ve been spending more time in Victoria this last year and a half, why, I didn’t want to share it, because my son’s been very sick, he got sick here in Victoria, he’s been in and out of Victoria General, it’s been the worst year and a half of my life,” said Chandra Herbert. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
Chandra Herbert said his son is doing well now, but has a rare disease that is being managed. His son goes to school in Colwood.
After Spencer and husband Romi married in 2010 and were unable to adopt, they became fathers to a baby boy via surrogacy through a friend, on Feb. 14, 2017.
Spencer said while he’s been with his family in Colwood, he’s also been looking after his constituents in Vancouver. “I go back and forth between here and my home in Vancouver.”
Chandra Herbert said his MLA expenses are lower than for 61 other MLAs, and suggested the Opposition should pick on them first.
Chandra Herbert filed $24,498 in travel expenses for 2022-2023, placing him 62 of 88 B.C. MLAs for travel expenses.
The highest travel expenses for 2022-2023, at $66,907, were filed by Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister NDP MLA Nathan Cullen, who lives in Smithers and represents Stikine.
MLAs agreed Thursday that compensation for travel expenses was originally put in place for politicians like Cullen who have to travel great distances by air from their ridings to the legislature.
“It was never thought that you would have an individual that moves out of the riding into a totally different region and then is going to claim transportation costs to fly back so he can pretend to still be living in the West End of Vancouver — that was never contemplated,” said Falcon. “It’s certainly bending the rules to the point of breaking.”
Carson Binda, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, released a statement Thursday saying “while taxpayers are struggling to afford groceries and pay rent,” elected officials are needlessly taking helicopter rides between their homes in Victoria and their constituencies in Vancouver.
“When the legislature isn’t sitting, there is no reason for MLAs to be billing taxpayers for round-trip helicopter rides,” said Binda.
The federation didn’t just cite the NDP MLA — it also noted that BC United MLA Michael Lee spent almost $90,000 on travel, according to members’ disclosure reports, from 2020-2021 to 2022-2023.
Lee spent $30,800 in 2020-21, $32,600 in 2021-22 and $26,000 in the first three quarters of 2022-23.
“Taxpayers are struggling and it’s wrong to waste their money,” said Binda. “MLAs need to get off their choppers, get down to earth and start taking affordability seriously.”
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