Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 12, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Former MLA Bobby Villeneuve is facing a big clawback - $76,874 to be exact - from the Legislative Assembly.

The assembly's board of management is demanding the former member for Tu Nedhe repay accommodation allowances and benefits, charging he improperly claimed them during much of his time as MLA from 2003 to 2007.

Bobby Villeneuve: "I think it's just wrong. "They're just going beyond their authority." -

However, Villeneuve, who lost his bid for re-election in October, said he did nothing improper and has no intention of paying.

"I think it's just wrong," he said of the board of management's demand made on Nov. 8. "They're just going beyond their authority."

Villeneuve also said the matter would end up in court if some other resolution is not found.

In July, an audit of nine regular MLAs claiming permanent residency over 80 kilometres from Yellowknife concluded Villeneuve spent only 132 of a possible 1,316 days in his constituency.

However, the former MLA had sworn that his permanent residence was in Fort Resolution, making him entitled to about $28,000 annually in Yellowknife accommodation allowances.

Paul Delorey, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, therefore made a complaint to the conflict of interest commissioner in August.

Gerald Gerrand, the conflict of interest commissioner, upheld the complaint, saying Villeneuve's place of residence was Yellowknife from the time he was elected.

"The board of management will act quickly to recover the allowances and benefits paid to Mr. Villeneuve," Delorey stated. "Towards this end, entitlements such as Mr. Villeneuve's transition allowance, valued at more than $29,000, will not be paid to him, but rather set off against the debt now owed to the legislative assembly."

A transition allowance is paid to former MLAs when they leave office.

Once the transition allowance is taken into account, Delorey said Villeneuve still owes more than $46,000.

The money is payable to the GNWT's consolidated revenue fund.

Delorey said, if Villeneuve doesn't pay, the debt could be deducted if he ever works for the GWNT in the future or could end up with a collection agency.

"I know government pursues debts for a long time," Delorey said.

If Villeneuve was still an MLA, there would be one more step in the process. The issue would have been referred by the conflict of interest commissioner to a sole adjudicator.

"Now the board of management takes over the process because I'm no longer a member," Villeneuve said, adding the board's actions are not according to any legislation.

Delorey said the board of management is acting within its authority.

"We have every right to claim money back if it was falsely claimed by a member," he said.

Villeneuve objects to the mixing of the housing allowance and the transition allowance, noting they are two totally separate issues.

Villeneuve also criticized the investigation process.

The former MLA said he was paying monthly rent in Fort Resolution, even though cell phone records and other records looked at in the audit may have often showed him elsewhere.

"I was out and about," he said, adding he was often in Hay River or Fort Smith.

"I think that the whole audit was incomprehensive," he said.

Plus, he said it was not an independent audit, but a government audit.

Villeneuve also noted the Conflict of Interest Commissioner only talked to him for half an hour.

The assembly had previously recovered $10,106 from Villeneuve after he filed a revised statutory declaration of residence in February indicating Yellowknife as his ordinary place of residence since October 2006.