Your Council expenses are looking like convention season

Right, so, you know how sometimes you feel like you're paying for things that don't quite make sense? Let's talk about the latest from City Hall. According to recent expense reports, Councillor Clarke and Councillor Elliott are getting ready for the 2025 Alberta Municipalities Convention in Calgary. Councillor Clarke's tab so far is $825.88 for accommodation and another $685.00 for registration. Councillor Elliott is also dropping $825.88 on accommodation, with an additional $348.00 for food and incidentals. That’s a chunk of change for a convention that's still months away, from November 12-14, 2025.

### What’s the deal with these numbers?

Now, I'm not saying these conventions aren't important, they probably are, for networking or whatever. But when you look at it, that's nearly two grand just for one councillor's convention attendance, and that's before they even pack their bags. It’s the kind of thing that makes you wonder about the cost-benefit analysis. Honestly though, it just feels like a pretty penny for a trip to Calgary, which, let's be real, is just down the road.

* Councillor Clarke: $1,510.88 total

* Councillor Elliott: $1,173.88 total

* Both attending the Alberta Municipalities Convention, November 12-14, 2025.

It’s worth keeping an eye on these things. It's not the first time we've seen these convention costs, and it won't be the last. Edmonton doesn't need your approval. Never did.

Darren Fedoruk (@deepnorth_yeg)

My colleagues are probably already dissecting this, and better than I am, at mornings.live.