Newsrelease

January 27, 1998
Edmonton, Alberta

Government reports on payments made to MLAs in 1996-97

The Alberta government is required by legislation (section 43 of the Legislative Assembly Act and section 16 of the Conflicts of Interest Act) to report each year on payments made to current and former MLAs.

Payments made to current and former MLAs for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1997, including those not required by legislation, are included in the attached report MLA Salaries and Payments for the third year in a row. Before that time, the Provincial Treasurer released this information in three separate reports B the Conflicts of Interest Act report, the report on payments to MLAs serving on boards, commissions and committees, and the Report on Selected Payments to Members and Former Members of the Legislative Assembly.

Four items are listed for each MLA:

• Remuneration and Benefits B MLA and Ministers' salaries, expense allowances, fees and benefits.
• Reimbursements for Expenses B Travel expenses, travelling and living expenses and subsistence allowances.
• Other Payments B For example, includes pension benefits under the Teachers' Retirement Fund Act, Local Authorities Pension Plan Act and Universities Academic Pension Plan Act, as well as claims paid out by Agriculture Financial Services Corporation.
• Payments to direct associates for each MLA. As required by the Conflicts of Interest Act, this section provides names of people or corporations directly associated with the member, and any payments made by the government to direct associates (e.g. an MLA's spouse or a private company in which an MLA has shares or is a director).

The document also includes payments to former MLAs under the Members of the Legislative Assembly Pension Plan and the Public Service Pension Plan.

The 1996-97 report reflects the changes made to current MLAs' salaries, allowances and benefits, including:

• 5% decrease in salaries paid to the Premier, Cabinet Ministers, Leader of the Official Opposition and Third Party Leader effective March 1, 1993
• 5% salary decrease for MLAs effective January 1, 1994
• Elimination of the $5,000 Representational Allowance for the Premier effective January 1, 1994
• 5% decrease in Committee fees effective January 1, 1994
• Leader of the Official Opposition, Leader of the Recognized Opposition and the Chairman of Category "A" Committees no longer provided with automobiles effective December 8, 1993
• Elimination of the MLA Pension Plan for MLAs elected since 1989, effective April, 1993. For those MLAs elected prior to 1989, pensionable service does not accrue for service after June 15, 1993

For more information, please contact:

Trish Filevich
Director of Communications
Alberta Treasury
Telephone (780) 427-5364
e-mail address: webmaster@treas.gov.ab.ca

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