When the head of British Columbia's civil service announced she was stepping aside, Premier Gordon Campbell told reporters in Victoria that Jessica MacDonald would "be here for a 90 day transition period" to offer her successor Allan Seckel support.
But Public Eye has exclusively learned, during that period, the government paid for her to be trained in Ontario as a corporate director - sending her to attend around seven days worth of courses at a cost of more than $10,000 to taxpayers.
That retraining was part of undisclosed transition agreement for MacDonald, who has since been hired as the executive vice-president of western and international development at HB Global Advisors Corp. - the consulting arm of international law firm Heenan Blaikie LLP.
However, the government is defending the deal, noting this is the first and only time she's received taxpayer-funded training since joining the premier's office.
Under that agreement, the government offered MacDonald access to career counselling and training services including the Directors College, a program run by The Conference Board of Canada and McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business.
That program, which has been taken by other provincial deputy ministers, trains participants to become chartered corporate directors. It includes five, two and 1/4-day courses which take place at the White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa - a luxury hotel located in Niagra-on-the-Lake.
MacDonald took three of those courses, which start on a Thursday and end on a Saturday, at a cost of $4,120 each for a total of $12,360. A government spokesperson stated that was the only training she took advantage of as part of her transition package. And it's only the training she took during the six years she spent with the premier's office.
But New Democrat House Leader Mike Farnworth said he doesn't think that going-out-the-door package was appropriate, "not when they've been busy cutting back grants to sports groups across B.C, not when there's healthcare cutbacks, not when there's been education cutbacks. Quite frankly, I think it's an unnecessary expenditure."
"I don't think she needed to be sent to this Directors College," he continued. "I think her qualifications would have landed her on her feet quite nicely without that expenditure."
No room at the inn?
Federal Liberal parliamentarians may be bunking with the plebs during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
In an email sent on Monday, Vancouver Quadra MP Joyce Murray disclosed some of her colleagues have been "unable to secure accommodation for the short time they will be staying in our city."
As a result, Murray is asking friends who have a "spare bedroom within 10-12kms from BC Place" to "host a Liberal Senator or Member of Parliament while they spend a few days in Vancouver."
But, in an interview with Public Eye, Tourism Vancouver travel media relations manager Emily Armstrong said, "There is space still available" at the city's hotels.
"It don't really have any stats because it seems to change daily. I get a daily update though that comes to my inbox that shows the next three days availability. Like, today, there was at least 15 hotels that still had space for the next three days."
And, according to the 2010 Destination Planner Website, on Tuesday there were 12 rooms still available for those looking to visit Vancouver during the first week of the Olympics - not counting accommodation available at hotels outside the city!
