The new MLA for the Highwood constituency is establishing a presence in the ridings’ largest communities, opening offices in Okotoks and High River last week.
It’s a departure from the practices of her predecessor, who had one office. Former MLA George Groeneveld’s constituency office was located in High River for the duration of his eight-year term. Prior to Groeneveld, Don Tannas had offices in High River and Okotoks for a time.
However, Danielle Smith, Highwood MLA and Wildrose Party leader, defended the move saying she wanted to make it as convenient as possible for people to connect with her.
She said having offices in Highwood’s two major centers will make it easier for people who have limited access to transportation to be able to get to her office.
“It’s still 25 to 30 minutes between the two offices and when you think about senior citizens wanting to come in and speak to their MLA, it can be a little bit tricky for those, especially if they don’t drive to get back and forth between the two towns,” she said. “I thought it is important to make sure I was accessible.”
The average budget for MLA constituency expenses is $135,000 per year. MLA’s receive $103,000 per year for their constituency office and staff offices from constituency office expenses and receive additional funds for communications and promotions based on a variety of factors, including the number of voters in the riding and its geographical size.
Smith said her office expenses add up to approximately $130,000 and are entirely covered within her budget.
Smith opened her Okotoks office in late August and the High River location opened in June.
The offices will be open Monday through Fridays, with the High River location open in the morning and the Okotoks location in the afternoon.
Smith said she will most likely be in the office on Fridays, because MLAs are in Edmonton for the rest of the week when the Legislature is sitting.
She will be available to handle large issues residents may have, while her office staff are able to handle most issues such as workers compensation, AISH or other concerns.
The Okotoks office is located at #5, 49 Elizabeth Street and her High River office at #4, 28 12 Ave. S.E. The phone number for the Okotoks office is 403-995-5488 and 403-652-7100 for the High River location.
