OTTAWA – The Senate has released Deloitte’s independent audit of Sen. Pamela Wallin‘s expense claims between Jan. 1, 2009, and Sept. 20, 2012.
Some highlights from the audit’s findings:
— Audit says Wallin should repay $121,348. Of that, $90,323 was for non-Senate business and $31,025 was for incremental costs Wallin incurred during stopovers between Ottawa and Saskatchewan.
— Another $20,978 in claims — most of them for “networking events” and other events and speeches — are recommended for further review by the Senate.
— The auditors determined that $390,182 of the $532,508 Wallin claimed in travel was appropriate.
— Between Nov. 20, 2012 and June 26, Wallin repaid $38,369 for inappropriate travel claims.
— Wallin sat on the boards of Porter Airlines, Oilsands Quest Inc., Gluskin and Sheff, Prime Media Group, CTV Globemedia Inc., Jade Tower Inc., and was chancellor emeritus of the University of Guelph. She was also involved with other non-profit and corporate advisory committees and boards.
— Some information Wallin and her aide provided to Deloitte was “inconsistent” with the auditor’s own research. Wallin says her staff amended her electronic calendar, but only to clarify what took place and remove irrelevant and personal information.
— Of Wallin’s 94 trips between Saskatchewan and Ottawa going back to January 2009, 43 involved a one-night stopover in Toronto and 32 involved stopovers of more than one night. Eleven were direct flights, one was a connecting flight and seven are classified as “other.”
— Wallin has a Saskatchewan driver’s license but not a provincial health card and did not list Saskatchewan as her primary residence on her income tax return. The auditor was unable to determine if Wallin was registered to vote in Saskatchewan.
— Between January 2009 and September 2012, Wallin spent 35 per cent of her time in Toronto, where she owns a condo. She spent 27 per cent of her time in Saskatchewan, 22 per cent of her time in Ottawa, nine per cent of her time in other places on non-senate business, six per cent of her time in other places on Senate business and one per cent of her time in unknown locations.
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