From: Mitton, Megan (LEG) <Megan.Mitton@gnb.ca>
Date: Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 4:11 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks the local MLA welcomes a little good news today N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank
you for your email. I'm currently out
of the office for meetings with limited access to email. For urgent
matters, please call the Constituency office at: (506) 378-1565 or the
Fredericton office: (506) 457-6842.
For media requests, please call: 506-429-2285.
- - -
Merci pour votre courriel. Je suis actuellement hors du bureau pour des réunions et j'ai un accès limité à mon courriel. Pour les affaires urgentes, veuillez appeler le bureau de circonscription au : (506) 378-1565 ou le bureau de Fredericton : (506) 457-6842.
Pour les demandes des médias, veuillez composer le 506-429-2285.
Megan Mitton
(elle / she, her)
Députée / MLA - Memramcook-Tantramar
Responsable en matière de la santé, le logement, le changement climatique, et les droits humains.
Advocate and Critic on files including Health, Housing, Climate Change, and Human Rights.
From: Fitch, Bruce Hon. (DH/MS) <Bruce.Fitch@gnb.ca>
Date: Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 4:16 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks the local MLA welcomes a little good news today N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for your email. Your thoughts, comments and input are greatly valued.
You can be assured that all emails and letters are carefully read, reviewed and taken into consideration.
If your request is Constituency related, please contact Kathy Connors at my Constituency office in Riverview at Kathy.Connors@gnb.ca or by phone at 506-869-6117.
Thanks again for your email.
Hon. Bruce Fitch
MLA for Riverview
------------------------------
Merci pour votre courriel. Nous vous sommes très reconnaissants de nous avoir fait part de vos idées, commentaires et observations.
Nous tenons à vous assurer que nous lisons attentivement et prenons en considération tous les courriels et lettres que nous recevons.
Si votre demande est liée à la circonscription, veuillez contacter Kathy Connors à mon bureau de circonscription à Riverview à Kathy.Connors@gnb.ca ou par téléphone au 506-869-6117.
Merci encore pour votre courriel.
L'hon. Bruce Fitch
Député de Riverview
From: Moore, Rob - M.P. <Rob.Moore@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 4:11 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks the local MLA welcomes a little good news today N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for contacting the Honourable Rob Moore, P.C., M.P. office. We appreciate the time you took to get in touch with our office.
If you did not already, please ensure to include your full contact details on your email and the appropriate staff will be able to action your request. We strive to ensure all constituent correspondence is responded to in a timely manner.
If your question or concern is time sensitive, please call our office: 506-832-4200.
Again, we thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore, P.C., M.P.
Member of Parliament for Fundy Royal
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 4:11 PM
Subject: Methinks the local MLA welcomes a little good news today N'esy Pas?
To: Tammy.Scott-Wallace <Tammy.Scott-Wallace@gnb.ca>, blaine.higgs <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, Dominic.Cardy <Dominic.Cardy@gnb.ca>, David.Coon <David.Coon@gnb.ca>, kris.austin <kris.austin@gnb.ca>, robert.mckee <robert.mckee@gnb.ca>, Mitton, Megan (LEG) <megan.mitton@gnb.ca>, Susan.Holt <Susan.Holt@gnb.ca>, Arseneau, Kevin (LEG) <kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca>, rob.moore <rob.moore@parl.gc.ca>, Robert. Jones <Robert.Jones@cbc.ca>, jeff.carr <jeff.carr@gnb.ca>, Daniel.J.Allain <Daniel.J.Allain@gnb.ca>, robert.gauvin <robert.gauvin@gnb.ca>, andrea.anderson-mason <andrea.anderson-mason@gnb.ca>, andre <andre@jafaust.com>, Ross.Wetmore <Ross.Wetmore@gnb.ca>, briangallant10 <briangallant10@gmail.com>, bruce.fitch <bruce.fitch@gnb.ca>, Dorothy.Shephard <Dorothy.Shephard@gnb.ca>, Trevor.Holder <Trevor.Holder@gnb.ca>, Gary.Crossman <Gary.Crossman@gnb.ca>, jill.green <jill.green@gnb.ca>, mary.wilson <mary.wilson@gnb.ca>, sherry.wilson <sherry.wilson@gnb.ca>, hugh.flemming <hugh.flemming@gnb.ca>
Wednesday 24 April 2024
N.B. tourism minister defends pricey trip to United Kingdom, France
Compensation funding for Sussex flood, pre-Christmas storm coming soon
New Brunswickers can apply for financial assistance to cover ‘basic costs of essential items,’ says province
Those affected by two heavy rain storms this winter are now eligible for disaster financial assistance, according to a news release from the province.
The announcement comes as a great relief for Sussex residents, says Mayor Marc Thorne.
His community was affected by the heavy rain that began on Feb. 28. It caused significant flooding, comparable to that of the 2014 flood in Sussex, which caused more than $10 million in damages, Thorne said.
"Those two floods were the ones in anyone's memory that caused the most damage in our community," he said.
"Beyond the actual presence of water, it's the current, it's the flow of the water and the silt that is contained in the water that causes enormous damage to the homes."
Sussex
Mayor Marc Thorne says he reached out to a number of people in the
community 'that were greatly, greatly relieved to hear it.' (Roger Cosman/CBC)
That storm, which caused significant damage in southern New Brunswick and forced 24 Sussex residents out of their homes, is one of those now included under the disaster financial assistance program.
The other is the pre-Christmas storm that began on Dec. 18. It brought extreme winds, heavy rain and mass power outages to much of the province.
According to the news release from the Department of Public Safety, the financial assistance "helps with eligible damage and losses that threaten the health and safety of individuals, local governments and small businesses."
A mid-December storm caused lengthy power outages for some, mainly from downed trees on lines. (Submitted by N.B. Power)
It says the assistance only covers uninsurable losses and only assists in covering the basic costs of essential items. CBC News has asked the province for more information about what this includes and is awaiting a response.
Not counting the damage to residents' homes, damage to infrastructure adds up to over a million dollars in uninsurable losses, he said.
He said residents have been anxious, hoping they would meet the threshold for financial assistance.
Thorne said the damage from the the winter flooding was comparable to the April 2014 flood, seen here in a file photo. (David Smith/Canadian Press)
"When I became, last week, aware that the program was going to become available, I reached out to a number of people in our community that were greatly, greatly relieved to hear it," Thorne said.
The news release said details on how to apply for the assistance will be announced soon, but in the meantime, residents are asked to contact their insurance companies, take photos of damage they incurred, keep receipts for any repairs and log the hours of work it took to clean up post-storm.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
FYI Commenting about this cost me my old faithful Twitter account
Woman stranded at home for 10 days because of flooding gets new bridge
Local contractor builds walking bridge because, 'rural people help other rural people out'
Elizabeth Fraser · CBC News · Posted: Dec 14, 2020 11:33 AM AST
Rob Moore wants to axe the tax and not collect any money for climate mitigation.
Reply to Kyle Woodman
Reply to Kyle Woodman
Reply to David Amos
Saturday 12 December 2020
Methinks the plot has thickened within this tragicomedy unfolding within Higgy's circus N'esy Pas?
https://twitter.com/DavidRaymondAm1/with_replies
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2020/12/methinks-plot-has-thickened-within-this.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-covid-roundup-dec-12-2020-1.5839158
---------- Original message ----------
From: Chuck Thompson <chuck.thompson@cbc.ca>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2016 12:20:57 -0800
Subject: Annual Leave Re: Re Federal Court File # T-1557-15 YO HUBBY
LACRIOX WHY DOES CBC CONTINUE TO BLOCK MY COMMENTS AND IGNORE MY
LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CROWN?
To: motomaniac333@gmail.com
I'll be away from the office until Monday, February 1st. In my
absence, please contact Emma Bedard at emma.bedard@cbc.ca or on
416-205-7831.
Thanks,
Chuck
Chuck Thompson
Head of Public Affairs
CBC English Services
416-205-3747
416-509-3315 (cell)
Woman stranded at home for 10 days because of flooding gets new bridge
Local contractor builds walking bridge because, 'rural people help other rural people out'
After being trapped at home for 10 days because of high water levels, Mary Ann Coleman was finally able to leave her property this weekend.
And it was all thanks to nearby resident Tony Raymond, who stepped up to build a walking bridge for the Sussex-area woman last Tuesday.
The project was finished three days later.
"I'm giddy just being on the other side [of the bridge]," said Coleman.
"It's absolutely amazing just to be able to come and go."
Coleman, lives on Creek Road in Waterford, about 90 kilometres east of Saint John. She lost her bridge after a major rainstorm flooded Trout Creek earlier this month.
The creek runs along the front of her property.
Last week, Tony Raymond, a private contractor in the area, built a walking bridge so Coleman could leave her property. (Mary Ann Coleman's Facebook page)
She said debris in the creek dammed a culvert that was installed by the Department of Transportation last year — and rising water levels washed away her bridge.
And she's been stuck at home ever since — with the exception of taking a small dingy across the creek to celebrate her 64th birthday on the side of the road last weekend with a slice of pizza.
Raymond heard about Coleman's situation the morning after the heavy rainstorm. So he drove out to see the damage.
Coleman and Raymond celebrated the new bridge over the weekend. (Mary Ann Coleman's Facebook page)
"She was in a real disaster and somebody had to come up with an idea," said the local contractor.
When he learned the province wasn't going to help, Raymond knew he had to intervene.
So he hired a welder and gathered some new and used material for the bridge.
"Rural people help other rural people out," he said.
Lack of access 'debilitating'
This past weekend, Coleman has been able to leave her home to run a few errands, like getting the mail — which has been piling up quite a bit.
She's had visits from friends, neighbours and her two grand-daughters. She even had a friend over to decorate her bridge with Christmas lights.
"It's just amazing that he [Raymond] would help me."
Coleman and a friend decorated her new walking bridge with Christmas lights over the weekend. (Mary Ann Coleman's Facebook page)
Coleman said the Emergency Measures Organization was considering putting in a walking bridge to help her come and go from her property. But later informed her a bridge would not be installed.
"It's very hard to imagine when a person is in this kind of situation that the province's response is so inadequate," she said.
Coleman was stuck on her property with her cat, Mo, but friends were helping to get groceries to her. (Submitted by Mary Ann Coleman)
"Then a private citizen steps up to the plate with his own resources and accomplishes it in a week."
Coleman isn't sure how much the walking bridge will cost, but she's grateful nonetheless.
"I don't think any flood would knock that bridge out."
But the lack of access over the past ten days has caused a lot of anxiety and stress. She's even had trouble sleeping most nights.
"It's quite debilitating, just not knowing what to do."
Walking bridge a 'temporary fix'
Her property has also sustained extensive damage from the flood. The river has been running through her shed and driveway and about two feet of water was in her basement.
Although the water has gone down since temperatures dropped, it's still too high to walk across.
"I would need the bridge," she said.
Coleman says debris and trees blocked the culvert, flooding the creek between her home and main road. (Submitted by Dianne McFarlane)
Although Coleman can leave her home, she still needs a driving bridge — especially during an emergency.
She's filed a claim with the province and she's hopeful to get some kind of help.
"The bridge is a temporary solution that will get me through the winter," she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thursday 3 December 2020
Sussex flooding keeps grandmother trapped at home for 2 days
https://twitter.com/DavidRaymondAm1/with_replies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vugUalUO8YY&feature=emb_title
RCMP Sussex New Brunswick
Debating Sussex always gets hit by a huge Flood! Clear-cutting is the real cause! WHERE'S THE MEDIA?
High water keeps Sussex-area woman stranded at home for 7 days
Mary Ann Coleman says province refuses to build a walking bridge so she can leave her property
For one week, a 64-year-old Sussex-area woman has been trapped inside her home because of higher water around her property.
And there's no help in sight.
"My anxiety level is very high," Mary Ann Coleman said Monday.
Coleman lives on Creek Road in Waterford, about 90 kilometres east of Saint John. Her driveway, which links her property with the main road, was "washed out" by the heavy rains early last week.
At around midnight last Tuesday night, the culvert a few metres from her house was dammed by fallen trees and debris, causing a flood and her bridge to float away, she said.
"It's beyond anything I've ever experienced."
Property sustains severe damage
On Saturday, Coleman's friends set up the Maryann emergency evacuation system," which is a dinghy attached to a rope that can travel across Trout Creek.
They also set up a canopy on the side of the road to celebrate her birthday with pizza and cake.
Then she had to return home to take care of her property, which has already sustained extensive damage from the flood. The river has been running through her shed and driveway and about two feet of water was in her basement.
She tried travelling to the other side of the creek on Sunday, but the water was so high the dinghy overturned when someone tested the system.
Friends have also sent over groceries with the help of a pulley system.
A future that's hard to plan
Moore said it's difficult to make plans.
Last week, Coleman said the Emergency Measures Organization was considering putting in a walking bridge to help her come and go from her property.
But the agency informed her on Friday that it would not be happening.
"That was quite a blow emotionally," she said. "I was counting on that walking bridge."
Coleman said she's not entirely clear why she can't receive help from government — just that the Department of Transportation wasn't going to help, so neither would EMO.
"All your life you pay with your taxes and you would assume people in situations like this are being given assistance."
CBC News has asked EMO and DTI for an interview, but did not get a response before publication.
Now, Coleman is thinking about hiring a contractor to build a bridge herself, but she's not sure how much that will cost.
"I don't have access to move my things."
Coleman still doesn't know when the water will return to more normal levels.
"I just don't know what to do."
About the Author
From: Twitter Support <support@twitter.com>
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 2020 17:57:13 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Case# 0183133931: YO Jack Dorsey and Vijaya Gadde Why block
me again on behalf of evil little Green Party people? Trust that if
any poltician understands my motives this weekend it should be Prime
Minister Trudeau, President Trump Correct?
[ref:00DA0000000K0A8.
To: "motomaniac333@gmail.com" <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
Hello,
We have received your request and will get back to you as soon as
possible. Thanks for your patience!
Twitter Support
From: "Hon.Ralph.Goodale (PS/SP)" <ps.hon.ralph.goodale.sp@
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 2020 18:20:35 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: YO Jack Dorsey and Vijaya Gadde Case#
0183133931 Trust that this is a very serious issue
To: David Amos <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
Merci d'avoir ?crit ? l'honorable Ralph Goodale, ministre de la
S?curit? publique et de la Protection civile.
En raison d'une augmentation importante du volume de la correspondance
adress?e au ministre, veuillez prendre note qu'il pourrait y avoir un
retard dans le traitement de votre courriel. Soyez assur? que votre
message sera examin? avec attention.
Merci!
L'Unit? de la correspondance minist?rielle
S?curit? publique Canada
*********
Thank you for writing to the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
Due to the significant increase in the volume of correspondence
addressed to the Minister, please note there could be a delay in
processing your email. Rest assured that your message will be
carefully reviewed.
Thank you!
Ministerial Correspondence Unit
Public Safety Canada
---------- Original message ----------
From: postmaster@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 2020 13:21:14 -0500
Subject: Undeliverable: YO Jack Dorsey and Vijaya Gadde Case#
0183133931 Trust that this is a very serious issue
To: motomaniac333@gmail.com
Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups:
Larry.Tremblay (Larry.Tremblay@rcmp-grc.gc.ca)<mailto:Larry.Tremblay@rcmp-
Your message couldn't be delivered because you don't have permission
to send to the recipient's system. Ask the recipient's email admin to
grant you permission and then try again.
Erroneous information about New Brunswick included in tourism pitches to Europeans
Shuttered attractions, mixed-up cities appear in materials posted by companies hired by province
A number of European tour operators that government tourism officials met with in London and Paris last year to discuss promoting New Brunswick routinely mix up basic facts about the province in their ads and have been suggesting visits to defunct or shuttered attractions.
"Spend time in Saint John, the provincial capital," suggests one ad currently being run by British-based Prestige Holidays.
"Relax before your flight to Saint John, New Brunswick's largest city," proposes another advertisement from U.K tour operator Wexas.
Saint John is neither New Brunswick's largest city, nor its capital. Those titles belong to Moncton and Fredericton, respectively.
An ad promoting New Brunswick from Britain's Prestige Holidays invites tourists to visit the Hopewell Rocks and then 'spend time in Saint John, the provincial capital.' (Prestige Holidays)
Prestige and Wexas are two of the private tour operators New Brunswick Tourism Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace said she met and signed contracts with last September during a trip to London and Paris by her, her deputy minister Yennah Hurley and two other department officials.
During a legislative committee session last week, Scott-Wallace said her department works in close "partnership" with the companies and it was important to meet directly with them.
Some of the tour operators "had interests in the province they wanted to discuss." and all, she said, signed contracts of some kind with New Brunswick for the upcoming year.
A
highway sign entering Saint John announcing the New Brunswick museum is
closed. A new facility is not expected to be ready until 2026 although
tourists in Europe are still being told they can visit. ( Robert Jones / CBC News)
"I sat at the table with tour operator companies," said the minister.
"These were face-to-face meetings with these businesses — senior executives, owners of these companies."
Despite those direct meetings and contractual ties with the province several of the tour operators appear to be in the dark about basic New Brunswick facts, locations and attractions.
The
historic Martello Tower on the west side of Saint John has not allowed
visitors for eight years and remains closed and under renovation.
Nevertheless it is still being recommended as a place to visit by New
Brunswick tourism partners in Europe. (Robert Jones/CBC)
"New Brunswick's capital is steeped in history," Wexas writes in one blurb that then suggests visitors to the capital take in the historic Martello Tower and the New Brunswick Museum. Both sites are in Saint John, not Fredericton.
Little harm will follow, however, since neither Saint John attraction is open.
Martello Tower has been closed to the public for the last eight years and is currently shrouded in construction materials and scaffolding. The museum shut its doors in 2022 and its collections are currently in storage.
A proposed new museum building will not be open until at least 2026.
The
Cherry Brook Zoo is still being promoted to European tourists as a
place to visit in Saint John although it closed in 2020. Animals like
Aslan the African lion were transferred mostly out of province to other
facilities. (Submitted by Erin Brown)
Tour operator Canadian Sky also suggests a visit to the shuttered museum while in Saint John and for "families" adds the Cherry Brook Zoo as a preferred outing.
The zoo was closed permanently four years ago.
Moncton's status as a regional shopping centre, one of Canada's fastest growing metropolitan areas and New Brunswick's largest city, appears unknown to any of the tour operators. Instead, an aging 50-year-old arena in the city got top billing in one write-up
"Moncton is known for its Coliseum," claims Wexas.
The
Moncton Coliseum is not listed among the top 50 attractions in the city
by the online site tripadvisor.ca but one British tour operator tells
prospective tourists it is what the city is known for. (City of Moncton)
Scott-Wallace told MLAs that selling New Brunswick as a tourist destination to Europeans is something the province is depending on the tour operators to execute.
"We have contracts signed with each and every person on this list," Scott-Wallace said about the companies she met personally with.
"These are signed contracts with every person on this list for '24-'25. That's a good seven days' work from me."
It is unclear if New Brunswick's Tourism department checks the accuracy of what those tour operator partners say about the province in ads or if the minister raised the issue during her face-to-face meetings with company officials.
However, on Friday a department spokesperson said in an emailed statement changes are now being requested.
"The Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture has been in contact with the European tour operators to make updates to the information," said the email.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kyle Woodman
I get that criticising your dear leader might be hard to take, but that doesn't mean it should not be reported on.
Wasteful and poorly done, yet democratic.
or
Efficient and satisfactorily done, but not voted for.
Reply to Jack Bell
In other words, available and not demanding a decent wage.
You get what you vote for.
Rise in international tourists cited by embattled N.B. minister was seen in all provinces
Grilling of Tammy Scott-Wallace over trip to London and Paris stretches into second day
New Brunswick's tourism minister Tammy Scott-Wallace has been citing growth in visitors from Britain, France and Germany in 2023 as evidence that departmental activities, like a trip she and others took to London and Paris last year, pay dividends for taxpayers.
But figures suggest European visits to New Brunswick in 2023 grew at a slower pace than in the rest of Canada and increases that did occur were exaggerated by COVID-related travel restrictions that suppressed visits in 2022.
"Results have actually increased," Scott-Wallace said about international tourism during an hour-long grilling on Tuesday about why the minister, her deputy and two others went to London and Paris on a taxpayer-funded trip last September.
The minister said visiting London and Paris was part of a number of initiatives that have been successfully attracting more visitors to the province.
"In the United Kingdom, for example, over 2022, visitation to New Brunswick is up 23 per cent," she told Liberal tourism critic Isabelle Theriault.
"From France visitation is up 12 per cent and from Germany 32 per cent over 2022, so I think we can see very clearly that the work is being done by people working within the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture."
However, data compiled by Statistics Canada shows that international visits to all provinces increased in 2023.
Because COVID travel restrictions facing international travellers suppressed visits to Canada midway through 2022, those numbers were easily beaten in 2023 in every jurisdiction.
Tourism
Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace spent two days this week answering
questions about a trip to the U.K. and France that she, deputy tourism
minister Yennah Hurley, left, and two other officials took last
September. (Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick )
In late April 2022, Canada lifted a number of COVID travel rules that had been restricting visits by international travellers.
Requirements that fully vaccinated travellers provide a quarantine plan upon entry were ended, and unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children aged five to 11 who were accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent or guardian no longer had to undergo a COVID-19 test for entry to Canada.
A requirement that fully vaccinated travellers mask in public spaces for 14 days following arrival was also dropped as was the need for visitors to maintain a list of close contacts and locations visited.
The changes had a major impact on numbers.
In March 2023, visits to Canada from the United Kingdom, France and Germany were 65 per cent higher than in March 2022, the last complete month restrictions were fully in place.
New
Brunswick tourism officials spent four of their eight days in Europe at
the $800-a-night Trafalgar Hotel in London. A rooftop bar includes a
view of the London Eye. New Brunswick taxpayers were billed for a ticket
to ride the Eye among other excursions. (Trafalgar St. James Hotel)
Overall in 2023, Canada recorded 786,845 arrivals from France, Germany and Britain between January and December, a 23.6 per cent increase over 2022.
In the Legislature on Tuesday, Scott-Wallace quoted numbers showing a combined 21.1 per cent increase in visits to New Brunswick from those three same countries, slightly below the national gain.
On Wednesday, Scott-Wallace faced a second straight day of questions about the European trip and its value to taxpayers during consideration of her budget estimates.
Green Party Leader David Coon took his turn digging into the details of the excursion and asking about planned future trips.
The minister acknowledged there has been a 10 per cent, $56,000, increase in the section of her departmental budget that finances travel for the coming year but said there are no specific plans to go anywhere internationally.
"There's no travel planned as of yet overseas," Scott-Wallace said.
"It's very rare that I'm travelling overseas as tourism minister. However, I believe there is an expectation from New Brunswickers that their minister of tourism does travel outside of the province to bring new business to the province."
Scott-Wallace ran up more than $10,000 in expenses during the eight-day visit, although she said her trip lasted only seven days because of flooding in her riding that required an early return.
The department's deputy minister, Yennah Hurley, billed more than $12,000.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yeah, funny as in, not funny.
I will continue to keep everyone updated on what is happening on Twitter, Larry's Gulch, and Albert County to name just a few. People think what I post is important and even though I can't back much up of what I say, it is true because I posted it.
Tourism minister faces more questions on deputy's spending
Green leader says taxpayers should not pay real estate fees when public servants sell their homes
New Brunswick's minister of tourism faced a second day of questions Wednesday about her deputy minister's expense claims, including more than $19,000 in moving costs.
"We will continue to adhere to the relocation policy that is in effect across all of GNB," Tammy Scott-Wallace said, using an abbreviation for the provincial government.
Premier Blaine Higgs hired Yennah Hurley, a former travel blogger and tourism business operator, first as an advisor to the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture in 2019 and then as its deputy minister.
Coon said it was "almost unbelievable" that taxpayers were covering moving expenses, such as the $15,000 real estate commission paid on the house Hurley sold when she moved from Quispamsis to Fredericton last year.
Green
Leader David Coon said in the legislature Wednesday he can't believe
the premier tolerates taxpayers paying real estate fees for government
employees. (Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick)
"The taxpayers of this province should not be paying the Realtors' costs of public servants when they sell their homes," Coon said during a legislative committee meeting about the Tourism Department's 2024-25 budget estimates.
"I can't believe that the premier of this province would tolerate a policy — being the fiscal conservative he says he is — that has taxpayers paying real estate agent fees for GNB employees."
Higgs weighed in later in the day on Hurley's expenses during his own appearance before the same committee, saying the executive council office would be re-evaluating policies on overseas travel.
Part of Hurley's $77,000 expenses last year were for a trip to the United Kingdom and France for meetings promoting tourism in New Brunswick.
The travel claim included the cost of visits to sites including Windsor Castle and the Palace of Versailles.
Just because similar expenses have happened in the past, "that doesn't mean it's right," Higgs told Liberal MLA Rene Légacy.
"I'm asking questions, too, and I want to understand what our policies are, because sometimes policies can be better defined so we can all ensure taxpayers money is used in the most efficient manner. So we're going to ask those questions."
Higgs also clarified that the moving expenses policy applies to senior officials in the government, not all employees.
Hurley's expense claim also included $3,550.67 for movers and $770.50 in legal fees.
The relocation policy says moving costs can be covered at the discretion of a deputy minister if an employee is transferred.
But Hurley's job has been based in Fredericton since 2019.
In
2021, a government spokesperson said Hurley was hired on a 'personal
service contract,' and officials with those kinds of deals negotiate
their own terms with the premier's office. (CBC)
Her hiring was fiercely criticized by Opposition Liberal MLAs at the time and should the party take power after the provincial election in October, they could fire her or ask her to resign.
Green Leader David Coon alluded to that scenario Wednesday, asking Scott-Wallace if the policy would cover the expenses of Hurley's move back to Quispamsis, "given this is a general election year."
Scott-Wallace did not rule it out, calling it "a hypothetical question."
The policy does not mention moving expenses for a deputy minister who is fired or pushed out of their position.
But a spokesperson said it would not cover that scenario.
"Once an employee is terminated or resigned, and no longer employed by the province, the directive would not apply," said Mir Hyder.
In 2021, a government spokesperson said Hurley was hired on a "personal service contract," and officials with those kinds of deals negotiate their own terms with the premier's office.
At the time it was revealed she was receiving a $955 monthly living allowance, along with other expenses, while commuting from Quispamsis to the capital.
She also claimed mileage expenses from Fredericton to Saint John for meetings there.
A spokesperson said earlier this week that Hurley would not have approved her own moving expenses, but did not say who did approve them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Higgs again turns to outside consultants to reshape government
Liberals describe 3 consultants as 'shadow deputy ministers'
Jacques Poitras · CBC · Posted: Apr 09, 2019 6:00 AM ADT
"Yennah Hurley is one of three outside consultants hired by Premier Blaine Higgs to establish a new model for government operations. (Yenna Hurley)
Higgs said in an interview Monday they will provide "a different view, a different attitude, a different perspective" on what government can do. All three report directly to him.
Hurley and Logan are on two-year contracts and will be paid the equivalent of deputy minister salaries, while Youden will be paid "by the job," Higgs said.
The Progressive Conservative premier first confirmed the consultants' presence when he was asked about it by Liberal Leader Denis Landry on March 27 in question period.
Landry didn't criticize the move but referred to the trio as "shadow deputy ministers" and asked Higgs to explain how they were chosen."
I know for a fact that as finance minister in 2011/12 he chaired a committee of ministers and government MLA's that had every government department summarize their functions, services, budgets etc. and make recommendations for what could be cut, reduced or transferred to the private sector.
Perhaps he should ask his assistant from Alberta to pull those reports and have a look at those two policies and what recommendations were made to him 13 years ago.
"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"
He should fire both of them.
N.B. tourism minister defends pricey trip to United Kingdom, France
Tammy Scott-Wallace says New Brunswick can learn ‘best practices’ from Windsor Castle, Palace of Versailles
New Brunswick's tourism minister is defending a trip she and her top officials took to the United Kingdom and France that helped her deputy minister rack up a $77,000 travel bill last year.
Tammy Scott-Wallace said the trip last September included meetings with a number of tour operators and public relations firms in London and Paris that have contracts to market the province to potential visitors from the two countries.
"That's incredibly important. It's a good day's work and it's a good seven days' work for me, I'll tell you that," Scott-Wallace said.
Her deputy, Yennah Hurley, sat next to her as she spent more than an hour responding to questions about the trip from Liberal MLA and tourism critic Isabelle Thériault during a meeting of the legislature committee studying budget estimates.
As first reported by CBC News, Hurley's expenses for the trip totalled $12,328, part of the $77,710 overall she claimed last year.
Liberal MLA and tourism critic Isabelle Thériault questioned Scott-Wallace about why the trip was necessary. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
Scott-Wallace's trip cost $10,199.
"What did it give the taxpayers of New Brunswick, that you went there for eight days?" Thériault asked.
"It's really not clear what you did, except visit some places. Like, you have to face the music."
Two other officials from the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture also made the trip.
Scott-Wallace acknowledged that no travel conferences or tourism trade shows were part of her schedule.
But she said it was important to meet with the tour operators and public relations firms hired to represent the province in the U.K. and France to rebuild connections frayed during COVID-19 travel restrictions.
"These are key markets for our province," she said.
Departmental staff then "built an itinerary," Scott-Wallace said, that included visits to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, the British Museum, the London Eye and the Palace of Versailles — all of them expensed to taxpayers.
The visits by her officials to the Palace of Versailles and Windsor Palace — which she pointed out she did not visit herself — provided insights into managing "built heritage," the minister said.
The visits by her officials to the Palace of Versailles and Windsor Palace — which she pointed out she did not visit herself — provided insights into managing "built heritage," the minister said.
New Brunswick has "similar sites, but on a smaller scale, absolutely," Scott-Wallace argued.
"There are best practices all over the country, all over the world, and when we are there having meetings with stakeholders, it's important we learn those best practices while we're there."
She also said 45-minute tours offered at the British Museum in London could be a model for an abbreviated tour of the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John offered to cruise ship visitors.
She called the London facility "truly a new, modern-age museum, and I think the people of New Brunswick deserve to have a modern, state-of-the-art museum."
No one from the New Brunswick Museum was part of the London visit but it was set up at the suggestion of the Saint John museum's staff, Scott-Wallace said.
Scott-Wallace said tours at the British Museum in London could be a model for the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. (British Museum/Facebook)
Thériault told CBC News she wasn't satisfied with Scott-Wallace's responses.
"I didn't get clear answers," she said.
Scott-Wallace said New Brunswick recorded 122,600 "visit nights" from French tourists in 2023, worth $11.6 million in revenue, and 121,000 from U.K. visitors, worth $18.2 million.
Trips to the province from the U.K. were up 23 per cent last year, compared to 2022, while trips from France were up 12 per cent.
Asked if Premier Blaine Higgs or someone else approved the trip in advance, Scott-Wallace said such trips are normal for the department.
"It is budgeted for. It is part of the work that we do," she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
"Tammy Scott-Wallace says New Brunswick can learn ‘best practices’ from Windsor Castle, Palace of Versailles"
Just her body langauge alone was a dead give away like a kid caught with thier hand in the cookie jar.
are you suggesting that we deprive our GG of the opportunity to live in the tradition of her people?
This program is only good if you are rich.
And yes we have 60% coal powered electrical grid but the carbo tax on the elec bill only makes heat pumps less attractive as there are fewer savings.
Tourism deputy rings up N.B. government's largest 2023 expense account
Moving costs and an $800-a-night hotel help push Yennah Hurley's expenses over $77,000
Luxury-hotel stays during an unpublicized trip to London and Paris and a personal move from Quispamsis to Fredericton helped deputy tourism minister Yennah Hurley, the former adviser to Premier Blaine Higgs, amass $77,710 in expenses in 2023.
It's the largest amount claimed by a senior official in the New Brunswick government for the year, including the premier and cabinet ministers, according to online departmental expense reports.
New Brunswick releases information on expenses paid to ministers and senior government officials quarterly for travel, living expenses, car allowances, accommodations and other costs.
It calls it an "effort to improve transparency, accountability and enhance the proactive disclosure of information."
In 2023, the largest amount claimed by an elected official for the calendar year was $52,522 by Higgs. That included $10,999 spent on a trip to Europe last May highlighted by Higgs's speech at the World Hydrogen Summit in the Netherlands.
Charges by the premier, however, were eclipsed by Hurley, whose expense claims ran nearly 50 per cent higher.
Hurley is a former small adventure business operator and travel blogger who has been New Brunswick's deputy minister of tourism since 2020.
Hotel
Lumen is less than one kilometre from the Louvre in downtown Paris. New
Brunswick tourism officials spent half of an eight-day trip to Europe
last September in the 39-room hotel, at an estimated cost of $600 a
night per room. (Hotel Lumen)
She was hired in 2019 on a two-year consulting contract by Higgs to work in the Tourism Department and report directly to him on changes that might be made.
One change that came quickly was the firing of the previous deputy minister, Francoise Roy, a month after Hurley began work. Ten months later, Hurley had Roy's old job
"I am proud that she is working with the people in the department," Higgs said in the legislature in 2019 in defending Hurley's initial hiring.
"I am proud that she is working with the minister because we are going to get things done by thinking differently. I am proud that she is part of the team."
In 2023, reports show, Hurley took several trips on government business both inside and outside Canada.
Expense reports contain little information on the purpose of trips, and Hurley was not made available for an interview. However, her reports show $21,488 was spent on hotels in multiple locations, including Banff, Quebec City and North Carolina.
Yennah
Hurley paid to take a public tour of the Palace of Versailles during a
visit to Europe and billed taxpayers $154.75 for it. (Chateau de Versailles)
According to information provided by the province, the most expensive trip, an eight-day visit to Europe last September was an effort to boost international tourism interest in New Brunswick.
It was also said to be for gathering information on tourism sites of significance that are recognized by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.
"The purpose of the mission was to discuss opportunities with international tour operators for visits to New Brunswick," Bruce Macfarlane, New Brunswick's senior director for media relations, wrote in response to a request for information about the trip.
"The mission also included site visits and meetings with UNESCO properties and museums with four nights in London and a four-night stay in Paris."
Four Tourism Department representatives went to Europe, according to Macfarlane, including Hurley and the minister, Tammy Scott-Wallace.
New
Brunswick taxpayers funded a number of activities for provincial
tourism officials during an eight-day trip to London and Paris last
September, including a ride on the London Eye. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
The group stayed at the Trafalgar St. James, a London hotel, before eventually moving to Hotel Lumen in Paris.
According to prices advertised online and expense reports submitted by both Scott-Wallace and Hurley, the hotels charge about $800 and $600 per night, respectively.
Hurley's expenses also included receipts for visits to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, an unspecified British museum, the London Eye, and the Palace of Versailles.
There appeared to be no specific charges for business meetings during the eight days by either the minister or deputy minister. Hurley's expenses eventually totalled $12,328 with Scott-Wallace charging $10,199.
Isabelle Theriault, the deputy Liberal leader and opposition tourism critic, said she is surprised to hear about the trip.
By coincidence last September, the Tourism Department was in front of the legislature's public accounts committee two weeks after Hurley returned from Paris, and Theriault questioned her about departmental efforts being made to promote New Brunswick in Europe.
Liberal
MLA Isabelle Thériault, the opposition tourism critic, says she finds
it strange department officials did not disclose their European trip
when she asked about promotions of New Brunswick being done there. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
The trip was never mentioned.
"If I had known I would have asked questions about it," said Theriault.
"If they just came back from those regions in Europe why didn't they tell me, 'We went there to work on how to attract people from those regions.' But they chose not to tell."
Hurley's largest expense in 2023 was not travel-related. After her return from Europe, she sold her house in Quispamsis and moved to Fredericton, ending four years of commuting.
That move cost taxpayers a further $19,321.17 in relocation costs.
Those included $15,000 for the real estate commission paid on the house Hurley sold, $3,550.67 for movers and $770.50 in legal fees.
According to the New Brunswick government's relocation policy, moving expenses for an existing employee are allowed at the discretion of a departmental deputy minister "if" the employee "is transferred."
Hurley was not transferred to a new job, and she did not take a loss on the sale of her home, which sometimes adds to relocation costs.
Real estate records show the house sold last October for $405,000, well above the listed asking price of $324,900.
Nevertheless, Macfarlane said it was determined Hurley did in fact qualify to have moving expenses covered and emphasized she did not approve her own claim. He declined to say who did.
"As outlined in the relocation policy, in no case can the Deputy Head authorize their own relocation expenses," wrote Macfarlane.
"Another designate approved the relocation expenses within the policy directive. Although we cannot talk about specific cases, the relocation expenses fell within the policy."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Of course she is.
N.B. is blessed. Would the complainers rather she stayed at home speaking to locals?
What was the bill for that junket?
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2021/02/hand-picked-higgs-officials-living.html
Monday 22 February 2021
Hand-picked Higgs officials living outside Fredericton cost taxpayers extra
https://twitter.com/DavidRaymondAm1/with_replies
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2021/02/hand-picked-higgs-officials-living.html
Hand-picked Higgs officials living outside Fredericton cost taxpayers extra
1 deputy got help with Fredericton housing and for drives to 24 meetings in Saint John area, where she lived
· CBC News · Posted: Feb 22, 2021 6:00 AM AT
Yennah Hurley was personally recruited by Premier Blaine Higgs to advise
on tourism matters and eventually run the Tourism Department as its
deputy minister. She lives in Quispamsis and billed the province for 24
trips to Saint John in 2020 to attend in-person meetings. (CBC archives)
Two New Brunswick deputy ministers who have been commuting to Fredericton from the Saint John area to run their departments accumulated thousands of dollars in accommodation and mileage expenses last year moving back and forth between the cities, records show.
John Logan, who lives in Saint John and heads the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, billed the province $9,219.08 for 85 overnight stays in Fredericton in 2020 to attend to business at department headquarters, according to his public expense records.
In a statement, Nicolle Carlin, director of communications for Premier Blaine Higgs, said Logan regularly works in Fredericton, where his job is headquartered, but often chooses not to commute home at the end of the day.
"John Logan works mostly out of the Fredericton office," said the statement. "When he's in Fredericton, he usually stays in the city for more than a day."
Yennah Hurley, a deputy minister who runs the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, owns a home in Quispamsis.
New Brunswick government officials have largely switched to online meetings since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including Higgs, shown here last week speaking with the New Brunswick Nurses Union online from his office last week. (Government of New Brunswick's Twitter)
Hurley was paid $9,550 to offset Fredericton accommodation expenses in 2020 but also billed over $900 in mileage charges for 24 trips she made up and down Highway 7 to attend meetings close to her home in Saint John.
The Saint John meetings were eight times more than the number in any other location Hurley visited outside of her office in Fredericton, but her department insists the charges were for legitimate government business.
These were expenses for meetings related to the duties of the acting Deputy Minister at the time," Erika Jutras, the department's acting communications director, said in an email about the Saint John meetings.
Jutras dismissed questions about whether holding so many meetings in Saint John and submitting expense claims for them could be seen as an attempt to have the province subsidize Hurley's commute between Fredericton and her home in Quispamsis.
The expense reports do show the largest number of the Saint John meetings, 11, are dated as happening on a Friday and most occurred after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, when many government gatherings moved online.
Hurley and Logan are among at least four senior officials hand-picked by Higgs to serve in key government roles who have not moved to Fredericton and whose expense accounts have included a variety of enhanced charges as a result.
In similar but separate arrangements, the premier's chief of staff and deputy minister, Louis Léger, and his principal secretary, Paul D'Astous, were paid the same $955 monthly "living allowance" as Hurley through much of 2020 to defray costs of staying in Fredericton without the requirement to provide receipts.
D'Astous, like Hurley, maintains a home in Quispamsis, while Léger has a residence in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent. Logan, who once served with Higgs as an executive at Irving Oil, lives in Saint John.
Earlier this month, Higgs told CBC News that Hurley no longer qualifies for the living allowance since being named the permanent deputy minister of her department in December. Carlin said D'Astous also no longer qualifies after recently signing a new employment contract.
Louis Léger, chief of staff in the Premier's Office, has a home in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent. (CBC)
Logan does still qualify for payment of his Fredericton living expenses as does Léger, which Carlin said has been the case for previous chiefs of staff..
"Mr. Leger's position is not a permanent position with the civil service," said a statement issued by Carlin.
"It is a job with a fixed time limit, and therefore most people who accept such a position would not move their home and family."
David Amos
David Amos
David Amos
Two New Brunswick Deputy Ministers Cause Huge Expenses To Taxpayers
"John Logan, who heads the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, has cost the province $9,219.08. All of this money is billed for 85 overnight stays in Fredericton in 2020, where he went to attend business at department headquarters.
Nicolle Carlin, director of communications for Premier Blaine Higgs, said that Logan works in Fredericton and that he often chooses not to commute home when he finishes his workday.
“John Logan works mostly out of the Fredericton office,” said the statement. “When he’s in Fredericton, he usually stays in the city for more than a day.”
David Amos
Methinks he lost that argument because Higgy maintains that Logan does still qualify for payment of his Fredericton living expenses N'esy Pas?
PHIL INNIS
Higgs should make her earn the money she's being paid in one of the outbreak homes. Tourism is dead
David Amos
Reply to @PHIL INNIS: Dream on
Ben Haroldson
I attended a course at a tech in Dallas back when i was with Aliant,
April 2001. The instructor commuted 4 hours, EACH way. BTW, there was a
sign on the door, " Please Check Your Guns at the Front Desk ".
David Amos
Reply to @Ben Haroldson: Speaking of free rides Methinks Higgy et al
will never explain why many Bell Aliant vans have had government of NB
plates for many years but at least they know I have pictures to prove
what I say is true I bet you do too N'esy Pas?
David Amos
Oh the horrors.
David Amos
Top legal official contradicts Higgs on duty to consult to First Nations
Deputy attorney-general says 'the duty to consult is quite clear' after premier called it vague
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Oct 11, 2019 5:00 AM AT
Taxpayers foot bill for 2nd residence in Fredericton for deputy tourism minister
Offered a government job? Move or commute, says David Coon
When so many New Brunswickers are having a tough time keeping up with rent increases, the government shouldn't be paying for secondary residences for civil servants, says Green Party Leader David Coon.
"I don't see any rationale whatsoever for the accommodations of a deputy minister to be covered unless they're travelling for work," Coon said Wednesday. "Not coming to their job and residing somewhere else."
According to the government's listing of senior executive travel and other expenses, Yennah Hurley, the deputy minister of the Department of Tourism, has a secondary residence paid for in Fredericton.
Hurley is a resident of Quispamsis, a community outside Saint John roughly an 80-minute drive from her government office.
"If you're a public servant and you accept a job somewhere else different than where you live, then you have two choices — move or commute," said Coon.
"But taxpayers shouldn't be paying for secondary accommodation or secondary lodging to be able to do your job."
Green Party Leader David Coon said it's simple: if you're offered a job in the civil service, move or commute. (Graham Thompson/CBC)
While cabinet ministers who live in other parts of the province are normally granted a "monthly living allowance," a spokesperson for the Treasury Board said there is only one deputy minister receiving an allowance to cover accommodations in Fredericton.
According to her expense claims posted on the government's website, Hurley claims a $955 monthly living allowance, a monthly car allowance of $558.54, and a $690 monthly amount called an "expense allowance." All that adds up to a minimum monthly claim of $2,203.54. She also gets mileage per kilometre on top of that.
That's all in addition to her salary, which falls somewhere between $150,000 and $174,999, according to the government's listing of employee salaries.
Higgs again turns to outside consultants to reshape government
Hurley's appointment by Premier Blaine Higgs drew criticism in 2019 from some who said she wasn't qualified to be a deputy minister, especially since the Tourism Department's budget had been slashed by 37 per cent.
"So you want to cut, but then the premier gets to hire a personal services consultant, a friend of his that he met two years ago," Liberal MLA Jacques LeBlanc said at the time.
In 2012, Hurley toured the province in an RV and was a weekly guest on CBC's afternoon radio show Shift New Brunswick, dispensing tips about what to see and do around the province.
This
monthly claim — from last April, the height of the lockdown — shows the
$955 claim for a secondary residence in Fredericton. (Government of New Brunswick)
In 2019, amid criticism of her appointment, Hurley said her experience as a self-employed tourism operator was an advantage.
"Budget cuts allow people or challenge people to be more innovative or more creative," she said. "That's where I come in. I'm an entrepreneur. I've worked with tight budgets before."
Hurley was asked for an interview on Wednesday, but so far, has not responded. A spokesperson for the department did respond, by email, to ask the nature of the request. Despite further inquires from CBC, no one replied by publication time.
Jennifer Vienneau, the director of communications for Finance and Treasury Board, did respond to questions about expenses and said "certain ministerial staff," as stipulated in the terms and conditions of their employment, are entitled to claim the monthly living allowance.
She said deputy ministers on personal services contracts are responsible for negotiating their own terms and contracts with the Office of the Premier.
Coon said it's not the first time he's complained about civil servants receiving a living allowance.
Each
month, Yennah Hurley claims a minimum of $2,203.54 on top of her annual
salary that falls somewhere between $150,000 and $174,999, according to
the government's website. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
"I've been through this once before with a former minister of transportation and infrastructure staff who had their lodgings covered in Fredericton. So this should not be happening again."
He said he would be concerned about such allowances at any time, but it's particularly incongruous now.
Earlier this week, the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights asked the province for relief for tenants, including retroactive rent caps, a moratorium on evictions, and a rent bank fund for people struggling to pay the rent.
Issues related to tenants' rights in New Brunswick have come to the forefront after a number of buildings in cities across the province were bought up, only to see rent increases.
In the letter sent to Premier Blaine Higgs on Tuesday, the coalition recommended a two per cent rent cap retroactive to Sept. 1, 2020, be put in place until the COVID-19 vaccine is available to all, and the province reaches the green phase of recovery.
In January, Higgs said there were no plans to implement rent controls during the pandemic, but he has asked for a report to see if rent increases are a widespread issue.
On Wednesday, in his state of the province address, Higgs acknowledged growing concerns about affordable housing and said there would be a 90-day review of the rental market in New Brunswick.
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/09/blaine-higgs-hire-unaware-of-social.html
Tuesday 24 September 2019
Blaine Higgs hire unaware of social media ban on politically partisan posts
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @alllibertynews and 49 others
Welcome to the Circus Madame Hurley Say Hey to your buddies Rob Moore and Mr Higgs for me will ya?
I trust that the comedian Mr Gauvin knows why I am still laughing
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/09/blaine-higgs-hire-unaware-of-social.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/yennah-hurley-blaine-higgs-social-media-ban-1.5292250
Blaine Higgs hire unaware of social media ban on politically partisan posts
Yennah Hurley says she didn't receive that information in her HR package upon hiring
Yennah Hurley says she didn't know until Friday that the terms of her appointment include a ban on publicizing political events.
She said a letter from the province's human resources department was mistakenly left out of her hiring package earlier this year.
"I apologize, because apparently in my original HR package should have been a letter that told me this information," Hurley said in an interview late Friday afternoon.
"I was not aware of that. As you know, I am very new to the government. This is my first government job ever and I was not aware of this situation."
"Now I am well aware and it will not happen in the future," Hurley said.
On Sept. 10, Hurley posted an invitation to a Progressive Conservative barbecue in Quispamsis, the premier's riding. She later posted photos from the event.
Hurley said she was "not at all trying to advertise for it [but was] just inviting people to come because I was also attending this barbecue in my own community."
In June, she attended a major PC fundraising dinner in Fredericton. On her public Facebook account, she posted several photos of the event and praised Higgs's speech, mentioning he got a standing ovation.
Hurley, who said she is not a PC party member, said late Friday afternoon that she still had not received the letter, so she was not sure if she is banned from attending partisan events altogether.
"All I know for now is that I'm not supposed to put anything on social media," she said.
New job
She also said she was unsure whether she would have to delete the old posts. Most of her Facebook posts are about New Brunswick tourism destinations, which falls within her job duties.
Hurley was one of three consultants appointed by Higgs earlier this year whose hiring was criticized by the Opposition Liberals.
She is described on the government website as a senior adviser to the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture.
Hurley founded an outdoor adventure company and in 2012 wrote a travel blog about New Brunswick. She toured the province in an RV and was a weekly guest on CBC's afternoon radio show Shift New Brunswick, dispensing tourism tips.
In the legislature, he called the consultants "subject matter experts," though the Liberal opposition called them "shadow deputy ministers."
Hiring before firing
Hurley, one of Premier Blaine Higgs’s hand-picked experts, said she didn't receive a letter from human resources telling her she couldn't publicize political events. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
Hurley was put in place in February, just weeks before Higgs fired Francoise Roy, who had been the deputy minister at the department.Her appointment came as the PC government cut spending on tourism from $20.2 million last year to $12.8 million this year.
Hurley said Friday that she had not made any major changes yet but has "rejigged the strategy a little bit … You'll be hearing about that very shortly."
Higgs said earlier this year that Hurley and Logan were earning deputy-minister-level salaries of $150,000 to $175,000 per year on two-year contracts, while Youden would be paid by the job.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
82 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Raymond Amos
Content disabled
"Welcome to the Circus Madame Hurley Say Hey to your buddies Rob Moore and Mr Higgs for me will ya?"
I trust that the comedian Mr Gauvin knows why I am still laughing
John Cannotha
"I was not aware of that. As you know, I am very new to the government. This is my first government job ever and I was not aware of this situation." - Around here we don't ask for permission, we ask for forgiveness !
Michel Jones
Reply to @John Cannothan: That sounds liberal to me.
Roy Nicholl
Reply to @Michel Jones:
Red-tie, blue-tie ... it's still a tie.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Roy Nicholl: YUP
Matt Steele
Not sure what the big issue is as there are tons of political appointments working within govt. . In many cases , upper level Civil Servants have their whole families working in govt. in various departments .The Govt. could easily cut the Civil Service by 20% to 30% , and not notice any change in the level of service . Govt. Services has been used as one GIANT MAKE WORK PROJECT for many , many years !
David Raymond Amos
David Raymond Amos
Welcome to the Circus Madame Hurley Say Hey to your buddies Rob Moore and Mr Higgs for me will ya?
David Raymond Amos
https://www.elections.ca/Scripts/vis/candidates?L=e&ED=13004&EV=51&EV_TYPE=1&PC=&PROV=NB&PROVID=13&MAPID=&QID=8&PAGEID=17&TPAGEID=&PD=&STAT_CODE_ID=-1
Stephen White
What a farce...
David Raymond Amos
Dan Lee
Lady.....dont take this the wrong way but......you have no bussiness working there.............
A few years ago...Premier Lord hired a company to cut back......and now we hire this...........
no wonder i turned to green party
David Raymond Amos
Lauchlin Murray
The real loss here to New Brunswickers was the firing of Francoise Roy. Ms Roy has both the formal training and accumulated on the job experience to better handle that mandate than most others available for the post. It's incredibly unfortunate elected leaders can't look past short term party desires and financing to consider and protect the interests of New Brunswickers, first. Francoise Roy as deputy minister would have maintained a continuity and professionalism within the department she served, which is essentially the primary role of a deputy minister. Having someone try to fill those shoes who claims their ignorance of law and policy is OK in their case - when it never is for anyone else - brings New Brunswick as a whole down another five notches or so. It's clear Francoise Roy has the maturity, great sense of public service - my god, she was an excutive with the Cancer Institute for over nine years, and that's not about petty politics - and all of the other experience and qualities best suited for public service; I know she'd never be claiming she 'didn't get the memo' to defend her behaviour. And her credentials convince me she'd never lie about 'not getting the memo.'
Rosco Holt
No, it's not true(srac). Higgy appointed another partisan hack in the civil service. What a shack up?
Appointing incompetent party followers at a expansive price tag, while preaching austerity.
David Raymond Amos
Higgs again turns to outside consultants to reshape government
Liberals describe 3 consultants as 'shadow deputy ministers'
Premier Blaine Higgs is defending his recruitment of a small number of outside consultants that he calls "subject matter experts" but the Opposition Liberals describe as "shadow deputy ministers."
Higgs confirmed in the legislature last month that he had hired the three consultants to help with "setting up a different model" of how government should work.
Two of the consultants are former senior managers with Irving-owned companies.
John Logan, who worked with the premier at Irving Oil, is working inside the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, while Bob Youden, a former J.D. Irving executive with a broad business background, is in Higgs's office providing strategic advice.
The third consultant is Yennah Hurley, who founded an outdoor adventure company and wrote a travel blog about New Brunswick that caught Higgs's eye. She's working at the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture.
Yennah Hurley is one of three outside consultants hired by Premier Blaine Higgs to establish a new model for government operations. (Yenna Hurley)
Higgs said in an interview Monday they will provide "a different view, a different attitude, a different perspective" on what government can do. All three report directly to him.
Hurley and Logan are on two-year contracts and will be paid the equivalent of deputy minister salaries, while Youden will be paid "by the job," Higgs said.
The Progressive Conservative premier first confirmed the consultants' presence when he was asked about it by Liberal Leader Denis Landry on March 27 in question period.
Landry didn't criticize the move but referred to the trio as "shadow deputy ministers" and asked Higgs to explain how they were chosen.
Opposition leader Denis Landry described the consultants as 'shadow deputy ministers.' (Ed Hunter/CBC)
Youden was on Higgs's transition after the previous Liberal government lost power. His consulting firm, Savarin Consulting, billed the previous PC government of David Alward $139,000 when Higgs was finance minister, according to public accounts documents.
Asked by Landry about Logan's time at Irving Oil, Higgs confirmed that he had worked with Logan at the company "for many years."
"Do you know what he was focused on doing, as I was? Getting better value for money."
'Sense of urgency'
The consultants were put in place despite Higgs's frequent tributes to the province's existing permanent, non-partisan civil service.
"I am so proud to be working with a workforce of over 50,000 — 50,000 strong — that want a better New Brunswick," he said in the legislature March 29.
"I am excited about the potential that is being unleashed within the workforce across this province to help fix the parts they are involved with each and every day."
Higgs has defended the hiring of the outside consultants when questioned by the opposition. (Radio-Canada)
Higgs repeated that praise Monday but said he needed the three consultants to transmit his "sense of urgency" for change into the bureaucracy.
"I can have a sense of urgency and I do have a sense of urgency, but I can't do that alone," he said.
"There's wonderful people in the system but they've been accustomed to what I would call political abuse for years. They've been accustomed to not leading because they've been waiting to follow the political will of a government."
Higgs said he doesn't plan to add any more consultants "at this point, though I don't know that there won't be more."
In at least one department where a consultant has been installed, there's been a change at the top. Hurley started work at Tourism in February, and Higgs confirmed on March 22 that Francoise Roy, the deputy minister at the department, had been fired.
That was less than a month after Higgs shuffled some deputy ministers, the normal time to remove someone. He said when he confirmed Roy's departure that he was not running "a government of normal practices."
He wouldn't say why she was let go.
Not the first time
Higgs has shown a liking for outside consultants before. As finance minister in the David Alward government, he led a "process improvement" initiative that saw consultants scour departments for ways to save money.
During last year's election campaign, the Liberals released a 2013 report by consultants at Ernst & Young that proposed to Higgs the elimination of 545 teaching positions and the closure of up to 79 schools.
Auditor General Kim MacPherson was critical of a contract between Ernst & Young and the previous PC government. (Michel Corriveau/Radio-Canada)
Another contract awarded by the previous PC government to Ernst & Young was later criticized by Auditor General Kim MacPherson for several reasons.
In a 2017 audit, MacPherson said under the contract with the Department of Social Development, consultants were allowed to evaluate their own performance and were paid millions of dollars based on "anticipated" savings, not real savings.
While the goal was to save $47 million, only $10 million had been saved by June 2016, she said, adding the actual benefit of the hiring "remains unclear."
Earlier this year, the deputy minister of social development told a committee of MLAs that the savings have now added up to $45 million.
Higgs said he has no plans for a similar "broad, sweeping" initiative now that he's premier. He said there have been enough studies and, with a minority government that may not last four years, he wants to make changes quickly.
Higgs defends hiring of Conservative consultants at taxpayer expense
Premier admits their views are ‘in line with our party’ but says it ensures ‘a diversity of opinion’
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Apr 25, 2024 4:19 PM ADT
Tourism minister faces more questions on deputy's spending
Green leader says taxpayers should not pay real estate fees when public servants sell their homes
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Apr 24, 2024 4:45 PM ADT
Lead us to a grinding halt by jove
"The Irving’s run a very good corporation"
A corporation that keeps getting hand outs from government(s), a good corporation really!?
Yep, spending taxpayers money. What great value for the Empire and Bermuda, not so much for New Brunswick and it's residents.
Personally, I have a BIG problem with this!!
Reply to Lewis Taylor
Reply to Jef Cronkhite
Trust that you are not alone
Higgs need to hire "consultants" to run these departments.
Taxes are paid to provide services and infrastructures, not lining bank accounts of businesses.
What expertise does these consultant really have for the departments that they were hire for?
Methinks Mr Outhouse resembles that remark N'esy Pas?
Where did Higgs find the money to pay his friends?
1. Pushing to open fracking moratorium back up (Irving benefit)
2. Pushed for the energy east pipeline (Irving benefit)
3. Refused to participate in federal carbon pricing ( Irving benefit)
4. Has appointed former Irving oil executives to help 'reshape' the government (Irving benefit).
5. Not much else...maybe remove a front license plate...ummm....can't think of anything else....
1. provides needed jobs and royalties to NB benefiting everyone
2. Again provides jobs and royalties to NB
3.as he should, it was a campaign promise and one I fully support. Carbon TAX in just another liberal tax grab which will do nothing but make EVERYTHING more expensive.
4. How does hiring a former Irving exec help Irving?
*2. Again provides jobs and royalties to NB*
Wrong again.
*3.as he should, it was a campaign promise and one I fully support. Carbon TAX in just another liberal tax grab which will do nothing but make EVERYTHING more expensive. *
Either way there is going to be a carbon tax, Andrew Sheers plan is too taxe the big corporations who will then pass it on to the consumers so what's your point ?
*4. How does hiring a former Irving exec help Irving? *
They only have big corporations in their plan.
There is many way for businesses to make their profit disappear, so 50% of 0 is still 0.
Too bad CBC doesn't have an ignore user option because all your liberal posts are tiring.
Everybody is to busy trying to get a ticket to ride on Higgy's Gravy Train
It appears that chicken has come home to roost on our border and rather afraid of the Axe
Poilievre visits convoy camp, claims Trudeau is lying about 'everything'
Trudeau responds, accusing Poilievre of welcoming ‘extremists’
Catharine Tunney · CBC News · Posted: Apr 24, 2024 3:29 PM ADT
Dear NB voters: You get what you vote for. Reshaping government huh? NB is now an official subsidiary of Irving Corporation.
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