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Edmonton mayoral candidate Cheryll Watson spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on expensive dining and hotels during her term as head of Innovate Edmonton.
The Western Standard obtained details of Watson’s expense claims in a Freedom of Information request.
The documents show that from 2017-2020, Innovate Edmonton under Watson spent $229,286 on items like client dinners and more than $40,000 for access to the SXSW music festival.
Innovate Edmonton is a branch of the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation.
Watson declined repeated requests for comment from the Western Standard. She eventually told a reporter that she would respond on Friday.
2017
A total of $48,125.40 in expenses were filed by Watson, including $12,928.65 for furniture in December of that year.
2018
A total of $31,868.04 in expenses were filed by Watson, including:
• $970 for dinner at The Butternut Tree in Edmonton with TrendWatching presenters on March 15.
• 728.28 for dinner at Sorrentini’s in Edmonton for dinner with the University of Alberta’s Dr. Mathais Ruth.
• $1,205.40 on October 10 at the Uccellino in Edmonton on July 23.
• $4,890.18 at the Craft Beer Market in Edmonton on October 10 for the Singularity U launch dinner.
•$6,001 to Ikea for office furniture on October 25.
2019
A total of $83,896 in expenses, including:
• $1,901 for three rooms at the luxurious Banff Springs Hotel on June 7.
• $2,011 for eight rooms at the Fairmont Edmonton Macdonald on November 19-20
• $10,664.94 for setting up a booth at the Collision Conference in Mississauga.
• $1,630 for a working breakfast June 6 at Calgary’s Pallister Hotel.
• $5,761 at the Mercer Tavern in Edmonton for the Mercer Block Party.
• $5,222.58 at the Sabor restaurant in Edmonton for AI Accelerator investors.
• $3,635.31 at the Revel Bistro and Bar in Edmonton for a dinner with TechStars
2020
A total of $65,397.47 in expenses, including:
• $5,271 for a dinner December 10 at Revel for Women in Technology event
• $40,000 for SXSW festival access on February 21, to be used next year as it was cancelled in 2020.
One of the planks in Watson’s platform includes the creation of a “Chief Accountability Officer.”
The mandate of EEDC is the “promotion of economic development” in Alberta’s capital city.
Watson’s expenses raised the eyebrow of Kevin Lacey, Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“Taxpayers should expect people serving in publicly funded agencies to treat tax dollars like their own, and not go spend-crazy,” said Lacey.
“The question taxpayers should be asking is, if you can’t control your own agency’s expenses, how would you control the expenses of the entire municipal government.
“Innovate Edmonton should do its job. There will be expenses associated with it, but taxpayers should take a long look at this list and ask themselves if they believe these are reasonable”
Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard
dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com
Twitter.com/nobby7694
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