Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview NDP MLA Deron Bilous says former premier Jason Kenney's principal adviser David Knight Legg is still on the UCP payroll raking in the cash.."He billed taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars to stay in the finest hotels that included marble bathrooms, vitamin showers, and an art nouveau champagne bar," said Bilous.."He is a symbol of all the waste and entitlement of the Jason Kenney government. In estimates, we found out that Mr. Knight Legg is still being paid almost $10,000 per month by Albertans.".Bilous noted Knight Legg no longer works for the government nor Invest Alberta but is still getting paid a generous salary by Alberta taxpayers.."In a globally competitive environment, it’s important to get the Alberta brand out there to generate leads and build the relationships and, ultimately, close deals," Alberta Minister of Indigenous Relations Rick Wilson said.."That is the work Alberta was created to do. Mr. Knight Legg has been helpful in his advisory role during the evolution of Invest Alberta, and he’s also been working on investment leads, including the EV battery manufacturing, family office investments, and energy companies and private equity firms, just as examples.".Bilous claimed that Knight Legg was earning almost $200,000 as a principal adviser to former premier Jason Kenney while expensing tens of thousands of dollars to Albertans.."Given that all we know is that he stayed in a boutique hotel which promises a one-of-a-kind luxury hotel experience at a home to aristocrats since 1867 and invites guests to release your inner bon vivant and given that it’s not clear what Mr. Knight Legg accomplished in his role besides racking up points on his credit cards," Bilous said..Bilous asked the UCP government in Question Period what exactly has Mr. Knight Legg delivered for Albertans for the hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars he’s received.."I’m proud to say that our sponsorship with Alpine Canada was a three-year agreement, and it started in 2021, and it’s in its last year now," Wilson said.."This agreement provides advertising and branding opportunities for Invest Alberta at key Nordic events. These opportunities are aimed at attracting attention from European businesses and audiences overseas watching the events. They’re also opportunities to host events, with some citing Alpine events as their catalyst for finally deciding to come to Alberta.".Bilous then claimed the Alpine Canada investment is a "$750,000 boondoggle.".Bilous claimed that Knight Legg left the premier’s office to become CEO of Invest Alberta, where he got a pay bump to $250,000.."Given that he left that role after less than a year but stuck around as an adviser to the board and given that he’s still being paid by Albertans while living in Singapore even though Alberta already has a trade office in Singapore," Bilous said..Bilous then asked the UCP government why is it still shovelling cash at someone with such a terrible record of abusing taxpayer dollars.."I find it really rich coming from the members opposite," Alberta Minister of Finance Travis Toews said.."It’s ridiculous hearing from the members opposite about their concern for taxpayers’ dollars. When they were in office, they didn’t respect Alberta taxpayers for one minute. They raised taxes. They brought in regulatory burden. They chased tens of billions of dollars of investment out, with it 183,000 jobs, and perpetual deficits. We’ve done better."
