Public FAQ: Public Disclosure of Travel and Expenses

1. Who should disclose travel, hospitality and working session expenses?
2. What expenses should be disclosed?
3. What expense information is disclosed on the public disclosure website?
4. What is the definition of each column on the site?
5. How often do expenses have to be disclosed?
6. How does the public disclosure website work?
7. What can I do with this information?
8. Why is there no receipt for an expense?
9. Who do I contact if I have questions?
10. Who is responsible for posting expense information on agency/organization websites?
11. Why might there be no expense information posted under a particular reporting period for some individuals?
12. Why do some expenses get posted several months after the transaction date (For example, the expense incurred in February, but was not posted until the June reporting period.)?
13. If a Ministry name changes, how will that affect the posting of expense information?
14. Why would an individual have more than one position title?
15. Why are expenses for an individual listed under more than one Ministry when they haven’t changed positions?

1. Who should disclose travel, hospitality and working session expenses?
Ministries are responsible for disclosing the travel expenses for the following positions:
• Ministers, Associate Ministers and their political staff
• Senior Officials appointed by an Order in Council and paid directly by the Government of Alberta
• Deputy Ministers
• Employees as defined under the Public Service Act, who are in the executive manager classes.
2. What expenses should be disclosed?
Costs and allowances incurred by an individual in the course of government business, including those arising from:
• travel, including transportation, accommodation, meals and related incidentals; or
• Hospitality and Working Sessions.

“Government Business” means activities intended to promote and achieve the goals and objectives of the Government of Alberta;

“Hospitality” means any expenses incurred in respect of hospitality provided to guests of the government or individuals otherwise not engaged in work for the government as a matter of courtesy or to facilitate Government Business; and

“Working Sessions” means any expenses incurred in respect of food or non-alcoholic beverages provided to individuals and to any third parties attending meetings held to facilitate Government Business.

3. What expense information is disclosed on the public disclosure website?
Expense information disclosed on the site includes:
1. The name and position of the Discloser;
2. the date of the transaction(s) giving rise to the Expense;
3. the amount of each Expense;
4. the category of each Expense (e.g. travel, including transportation, accommodation, meals and related incidentals; Hospitality and Working Sessions);
5. a description and the rationale for each Expense; and
6. receipts for each reimbursed Expense.
4. What is the definition of each column on the site?

The following lists the definition of each column displayed:

• Ministry — The Ministry where the expense was incurred
• Position — The position of the Discloser that incurred the expense
• Name — The name of the Discloser that incurred the expense (Last Name,First Name)
• Category — The high level classification of the expense (Travel, Hospitality, Working Session)
• Type — Further defines the Travel Category (e.g. Air fare, Meals, Accommodations, etc.)
• Date — The date the expense was incurred
• Amount — The dollar amount of the expense
• Description/Rationale — The short high level description and rationale of the expense
• Receipt — A hyperlink to the scanned receipt of the expense
5. How often do expenses have to be disclosed?

Expenses must be disclosed and made publically available on a bi-monthly basis within 10 business days after the first day of each reporting period.

Expenses to be disclosed include travel, hospitality, and working session expenses incurred and approved on or after October 1, 2012.

6. How does the public disclosure website work?

Expenses for Disclosers are posted on a bi-monthly basis on the website displayed in a table that can be searched, sorted, and filtered by Ministry, Position, Name, Category, Type, Date, Amount, and Description/Rationale.

Expense data can be downloaded on the website in CSV format, as well as XML and JSON through an OData web service.

7. What can I do with this information?

The information is released publicly and without restriction.

8. Why is there no receipt for an expense?

A receipt is not required for a reimbursement of an expense for which an allowance can be claimed. This includes expenses such as per diems, meal allowances, mileage claims, meter parking and bus fares.

9. Who do I contact if I have questions?

For any additional expense related questions you may have pertaining to a specific Ministry, contact the Communications Director for that Ministry. The list can be found on the Alberta Government Spokesperson page.

10. Who is responsible for posting expense information on agency/organization websites?

Each Ministry is responsible to ensure their Expenses and the Expenses of the Disclosers under their administration are publicly accessible online on a bi-monthly basis.

11. Why might there be no expense information posted under a particular reporting period for some individuals?

No expenses were incurred or processed for that individual during that reporting period.

12. Why do some expenses get posted several months after the transaction date (For example, the expense incurred in February, but was not posted until the June reporting period.)?

A Discloser may incur an expense on a specific date but the expense may not be approved until a later date. Expenses are reported after they are approved.

13. If a Ministry name changes, how will that affect the posting of expense information?

Expense information posted after the Ministry name is changed will appear under the new Ministry name. Historical information will not be changed (i.e. the expense information posted under the old Ministry name will remain under the old Ministry name).

14. Why would an individual have more than one position title?

All posted expense information relates to the discloser's status at the time the expense was approved. A discloser who has changed positions and/or Ministry and incurs expenses in the new position and/or Ministry will generate expense records under the new position and/or Ministry. All previously posted expense claim information is retained on the public disclosure website.

15. Why are expenses for an individual listed under more than one Ministry when they haven’t changed positions?

All posted expenses are attributed to the ministry where the expense was incurred as well as to the individual who incurred the expense. All expenses can be searched, sorted, and filtered by Ministry, Position, Name, Category, Type, Date, Amount, and Description/Rationale. For example, the ministry of International and Intergovernmental Relations may pay for some travel expenses for international trips.