Premier Jason Kenney’s top aide has claimed more than $45,000 in expenses, including four trips to England staying in high-end hotels..In a release, the NDP said David Knight-Legg – who earns $195,000 a year – billed taxpayers three times more than anyone else in Kenney’s office in the last six months..But Kenney’s office fought back saying Knight-Legg is only trying to bring back investments the NDP drove away..Knight-Legg’s expenses are more than former premier Rachel Notley’s principal secretary expensed over four years, said NDP MLA Heather Sweet..“Among these expenses are $18,680.77 for four trips to London, each three to four days long, where he stayed either at the five-star Chilworth London Paddington Hotel, or in the upscale Soho neighbourhood at the historic Kettner’s hotel, ‘home to aristocrats since 1867,'” said Sweet.. ChilworthChilworth Hotel (source: Hotelscombined.com) .The Oxford-educated Knight-Legg also charged taxpayers for 43 meals in London..“What on Earth could this close adviser of the Premier be doing in London? While the Premier is hiking taxes, cutting funding for schools and hospitals, disbanding firefighting teams and throwing Albertans off the senior’s drug plan amid claims the province is broke, David Knight-Legg was living a life of luxury in London at Alberta taxpayer’s expense,” said Sweet..“We have seen no substantive announcements about policy or collaboration with the United Kingdom. In fact, we can’t find a record of a member of the Kenney cabinet going to London or referencing the trade relationship with the country as a whole. Albertans paid for four luxurious trips in six months. The Premier must immediately release the full, detailed itineraries of each of David Knight-Legg’s trips. Otherwise Albertans have no way of knowing if this former international banker was conducting his own business and making the taxpayer pick up the bill,” Sweet said. .Kenney’s office shot back saying the expenses were within parameters and Knight-Legg was trying to repair damage done by the previous NDP government..“Under the NDP, Alberta saw tens of billions of dollars in job creating investment flee our province. Mr. Knight-Legg … is tasked with working to bring that investment back to Alberta,” said a statement..“While it’s not surprising that the NDP are unaware that London is the global financial capital, they should be able to understand that Albertans hired this government to bring back the job-creating investment that this province needs.”.The statement said Knight-Legg’s work centres around getting capital investment into the province, for the energy and artificial intelligence sectors. It said he also fires back against misinformation against Alberta’s energy sector..“Due to the commercially sensitive nature of the meetings – and the fact foreign-funded activist groups are actively targeting Alberta and large companies doing business in our province – the companies are not named.”.Kenney was criticized last week when it was revealed he billed taxpayers $16,000 for a private aircraft to carry himself, several other conservative premiers and their wives from a Stampede meeting to Saskatoon..“Albertans have a right to know what the purpose of these over-the-top extravagant trips was, and what return – if any – they got for them,” Sweet said..“The premier must apologize for the ongoing pattern of entitlement and frivolous spending of Albertans’ tax dollars in his office.”.The premier’s office has been contacted for comment but hasn’t replied yet.
