As calls mount for him to step down, it didn’t take ousted UCP MLA Pat Rehn long to take a shot at the government he used to be part of..Rehn, MLA for Lesser Slave Lake, was booted out of the party caucus on Friday, in part for not living up to his responsibilities in the riding..In a Facebook letter addressing his removal, Rehn noted he was now free to criticize Kenney’s government..“There are some advantages of not being tied to a party, however. I will now be able to express my opposition of some of the lockdown measures, such as closing gyms and businesses,” Rehn said..“I believe strongly that measures must be taken to prevent Covid-19 spread, but also recognize the long-lasting effects caused by the lockdown itself.”.Rehn vowed to represent his riding to the best of his abilities in the future..“There are still some large projects in the works I’m proud to be a part of, and I am optimistic this region will see great growth as we move forward, put 2020 behind us, and start fresh in 2021,” he wrote..Rehn was one of seven UCP snowbird MLAs who jetted out of the province over the holidays while their own government had Albertans under a strict lockdown..Rehn tweeted a picture of himself from a cave in Mexico, one of the moves that kicked off the entire scandal..Rehn was ousted from caucus days after after an entire town council called for his firing..In a withering letter to Rehn, the Slave Lake council alleges a litany of problems they have had with him..The town, with a population of 6,500, 255 km northeast of Edmonton, made public a laundry list of complaints against Rehn, including missed meetings and failure to represent the area for economic development..They claim Rehn doesn’t even live in Alberta (or Canada), saying he resides in Texas..Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman called on Rehn to step aside..“When you’ve lost the respect and support of the people you represent, as well as the people you work with, I think you need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask what you’re still doing there,” Warman told the Canadian Press..The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association has also urged Rehn to step down..“It is imperative for MLAs to be engaged with the cities, towns, villages, summer villages and counties they represent,” it said in a statement..“It is therefore particularly regrettable that Slave Lake, High Prairie, and other municipal councils from the provincial constituency of Lesser Slave Lake had to take the unprecedented step of publicly reporting their struggles with building a productive relationship with MLA Pat Rehn.”.Meanwhile, a deep-dive into the expense claims of Rehn are raising questions about where the MLA spent most of his time when the legislature was not in session, and their appropriateness..The MLA billed for three meals a day in Edmonton for two full months – even when the legislature was not in session – despite representing a constituency in northern Alberta..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
As calls mount for him to step down, it didn’t take ousted UCP MLA Pat Rehn long to take a shot at the government he used to be part of..Rehn, MLA for Lesser Slave Lake, was booted out of the party caucus on Friday, in part for not living up to his responsibilities in the riding..In a Facebook letter addressing his removal, Rehn noted he was now free to criticize Kenney’s government..“There are some advantages of not being tied to a party, however. I will now be able to express my opposition of some of the lockdown measures, such as closing gyms and businesses,” Rehn said..“I believe strongly that measures must be taken to prevent Covid-19 spread, but also recognize the long-lasting effects caused by the lockdown itself.”.Rehn vowed to represent his riding to the best of his abilities in the future..“There are still some large projects in the works I’m proud to be a part of, and I am optimistic this region will see great growth as we move forward, put 2020 behind us, and start fresh in 2021,” he wrote..Rehn was one of seven UCP snowbird MLAs who jetted out of the province over the holidays while their own government had Albertans under a strict lockdown..Rehn tweeted a picture of himself from a cave in Mexico, one of the moves that kicked off the entire scandal..Rehn was ousted from caucus days after after an entire town council called for his firing..In a withering letter to Rehn, the Slave Lake council alleges a litany of problems they have had with him..The town, with a population of 6,500, 255 km northeast of Edmonton, made public a laundry list of complaints against Rehn, including missed meetings and failure to represent the area for economic development..They claim Rehn doesn’t even live in Alberta (or Canada), saying he resides in Texas..Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman called on Rehn to step aside..“When you’ve lost the respect and support of the people you represent, as well as the people you work with, I think you need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask what you’re still doing there,” Warman told the Canadian Press..The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association has also urged Rehn to step down..“It is imperative for MLAs to be engaged with the cities, towns, villages, summer villages and counties they represent,” it said in a statement..“It is therefore particularly regrettable that Slave Lake, High Prairie, and other municipal councils from the provincial constituency of Lesser Slave Lake had to take the unprecedented step of publicly reporting their struggles with building a productive relationship with MLA Pat Rehn.”.Meanwhile, a deep-dive into the expense claims of Rehn are raising questions about where the MLA spent most of his time when the legislature was not in session, and their appropriateness..The MLA billed for three meals a day in Edmonton for two full months – even when the legislature was not in session – despite representing a constituency in northern Alberta..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
