SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The territory's only senator will have to repay $26,924 in expense claims after a retired Supreme Court of Canada judge found there is not enough proof the claims were linked to official business.

NWT Senator Nick Sibbeston, shown during an event in Hay River promoting his book in October, will have to repay more than $26,000 in expense claims following a ruling issued Monday. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo

Sen. Nick Sibbeston expressed disappointment in the report during an interview Monday and continued to defend some of the expenses for things like trips to Yellowknife.

"I did know that there would be a few (claims that wouldn't be justified) but I didn't expect it would be this high. The judge obviously had a high standard," Sibbeston said.

The amount he must now repay within 30 days is almost half the original $50,102 Sibbeston had been asked to repay following an auditor general of Canada investigation of expense claims by members of the red chamber. Sibbeston says he won't have trouble meeting the 30-day deadline.

"I've saved up money so I have the means to repay that," he said.

Sibbeston, who lives in Fort Simpson, was one of 14 senators who opted for arbitration to challenge the auditor general's findings.

Justice Ian Binnie's report states Sibbeston was able to provide additional documentation for some of the meetings that had associated expense claims and therefore those claims were justified. Binnie acknowledged "latitude should be given" to arranging travel in the North where car breakdowns or bad weather can result in unexpected expense claims.

However, Binnie found that some trips to Edmonton, Victoria and Yellowknife lacked sufficient evidence to determine they were for senate business and therefore he must repay the cost of things like hotel rooms, car rentals and meals.

Sibbeston said many of the trips combined personal and senate business.

Some of the largest claims Binnie ruled ineligible were two trips to Yellowknife. The first was over the holidays in 2012-13 when Sibbeston claimed he met with former premier Stephen Kakfwi for a New Year's Eve dinner. Binnie rejected the 11-day trip, which Sibbeston had billed taxpayers $4,176 for, was senate business.

An eight-day trip in January 2013 to the city, costing $4,824, when Sibbeston claimed to meet with the NWT Economic Opportunity Advisory panel, several people and Northern Property, was also rejected for lack of hard evidence. Sibbeston acknowledged it was primarily a personal trip with his wife, Karen.

"None of this justifies eight days of travel status for Senator and Mrs. Sibbeston in Yellowknife," Binnie wrote.

"I'm disappointed about that because I really did go there to work," Sibbeston told Yellowknifer. He said when he's here, he often holds informal meetings - such as running into people on the street - and discusses issues.

"I see people," he said. "I go to the hospital, I go to Tim Hortons and see people ... It's not like the south where you're incognito."

Another travel cost denied was $1,471 Sibbeston had claimed for cheering on the NWT ice-sculpture team in Quebec City while his son was a member of the team.

Items the senator had earlier claimed but agreed during arbitration to repay, include $912 for taxi trips to medical appointments, $1,533 worth of telephone calls and hundreds of dollars for trips to Edmonton where no evidence to deem the trip senate business was provided.

The senator had said he often sees residents of the NWT who are in Edmonton for medical treatment or in prison but the report notes he was not able to produce records to prove that.

Sibbeston said he knows the coverage of the expense issue won't help people's confidence in him or the senate but said with some explanation, he can show people why his claims were justified.

"I have no choice but to live with it and bear the bad publicity," he said.

While the senator said there's the option to challenge the matter in court, it's a step he won't be taking.

"It's not worth it, life's too short," he said.

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