PAT REHN MUST RESIGN AND FACE VOTERS IN LESSER SLAVE LAKE

EDMONTON - Alberta’s NDP Opposition is calling on Pat Rehn to resign as the MLA for Lesser Slave Lake and face the voters he has abandoned, after Premier Jason Kenney finally removed him from the government caucus.

“Jason Kenney removed a member of his caucus who was found to be travelling outside of Alberta during the holiday lockdown against strict public health advice and in the face of the expectations set for all Albertans,” said NDP Leader Rachel Notley. “But it’s been clear that Mr. Rehn has not been fulfilling his responsibilities as MLA for months.”

Rehn was caught vacationing in Mexico while Albertans made great personal sacrifices to uphold public health orders, but municipal leaders in the region have been criticizing Rehn’s absences and lack of interest in pressing local issues for months. The Town of Slave Lake formally called for him to resign, and the Town of High Prairie is working on a letter criticizing his performance. Meanwhile, Rehn billed taxpayers for months’ worth of expenses for extended stays in Edmonton.

“Jason Kenney knew this was a problem for months and waited until it was a personal embarrassment to him,” Notley said. “No one should mistake Mr. Rehn’s removal today as anything but shameless, self-serving, skin-saving politics by Jason Kenney.”

With an NDP MLA in the region, the Notley government expanded obstetrics care in Slave Lake, built 125 affordable childcare spaces, funded a dialysis clinic in High Prairie, opened a new EMS station in Wabasca, made critical improvements to the Slave Lake airport, twinned 150 kilometres along Highway 88, and introduced grants and tax credits that kept the High Prairie Mill operating.

“Mr. Rehn should resign, because we know there’s more work to do and, unlike Jason Kenney, we care when it’s not being done,” Notley said.