Nova Scotia town councillors' expenses can be difficult to obtain

Senators, MPs and MLAs are used to being asked about travel expenses.

But many elected officials in towns and counties across Nova Scotia were caught off guard when CBC News asked for details about what they spent on the public dime.

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Our requests under the Freedom of Information Act prompted a range of responses from councils and chief administrative officers. While many stress the importance of open government, they may lack the tools to easily open their books.

"You asked for three years of data. Plus, you wanted receipts. They would have to be unstapled and photocopied individually," said Stephen Feist, CAO of the town of Antigonish, as he described what's involved in responding to the CBC request.

'Don't have the staff'

Feist said the job would have taken one person several days digging through paper files "and we don't have the staff to do it."

The town gave CBC News a choice to either pay a fee of more than $400 to have the expense claims processed or view the documents at the town hall in Antigonish.

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Many municipalities waived fees permitted under freedom of information legislation. In other cases, CBC News agreed to pay the amounts, ranging from $50 for the town of Westville to $246 for the town of Amherst.

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In the case of Antigonish, CBC News opted to visit the town where Feist allowed us to view the documents without charge and told us our inquiry had prompted a group of nine municipalities to band together and invest in a new record-keeping system.

Electronic records

"After your request came in for the FOIPOP, we all gathered and started talking about the electronic records management," he said.

"Now, we're in negotiations trying to get that system in for all of us."

Feist said the nine communities will share a licence to make the system more affordable for all.

Once expenses are stored in an electronic format, Feist said a request for expense claims for Antigonish councillors could be dealt with in minutes rather than days. There's even the potential expenses could be posted online.

That's what happens in Yarmouth, where there was no need for a freedom of information request.

Public money, public access

Earlier this year, the town started posting expense forms, along with receipts, on its website.

"We all know that the public is watching. It's their money that we're working with," said Mayor Pam Mood.

There is a cost to having a staff person build and update the web page, said Mood, but she says the expense is worth it.

"I really believe it's something that everyone should look at. Not because anyone is hiding anything, but hopefully because no one is," she said.

'Fair is fair'

Other municipalities, including Truro and Port Hawkesbury, have also recently started posting expenses online.

Wolfville hasn't gone that far but did provide expense information under its "routine access policy."

"It's designed for us to be able to open our books to anyone who asks," said Mayor Jeff Cantwell. "Our books are public and you don't have to go through FOIPOP."

According to Mood, the only downside to posting expenses is that "people know what I eat. So it's embarrassing when you grab a Big Mac instead of a salad. But fair is fair."

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