Fildebrandt Airbnb loophole closed by all-party committee

From now on,Alberta MLAswho rent outtheir taxpayer-subsidized apartments on Airbnbwill beviolating the rules of the legislative assembly, a committee determined Thursday.

The all-party members' services committee voted unanimously to prohibitMLAs from double-dipping by putting their taxpayer-subsidized apartments on commercial renting services.

Can't occur again

NDPMLAEstefaniaCortes-Vargas,deputy chair of the committee, said even though the previous guidelines didn't prohibit double-dipping, thatdidn't mean it was allowed.

"What we did today was make it clear that nothing like this can occur again," she said.

The motion includes banningthird-party services that would rent out an MLA's home for a "fee as a vacation rental or any other type of short-term accommodation."

Alberta Party leader Greg Clarkasked the committee to address the issueafter it became public that former United Conservative Party (UCP) MLA DerekFildebrandthad rented out his Edmonton condo on the popular vacation sharing siteAirbnbwhile collecting a housing allowance.

Clark wanted the motion to include more specific detail to further tighten the loopholes.

For example, he said, the rules could have been written toprevent MLAsalready collecting housing allowances fromhavingvisitors cover utilities or condo fees instead of paying rent.

The motion that did pass"isn't perfect," he said, "but we got there.

"The bottom line is after today, no MLA can do what Derek Fildebrandt did," Clark said.

"In my wildest dreams, I never thought something like this would happen," he added

Nathan Cooper, the interim UCP leader who introduced the motion, said the "vast majority of members always want to do the right thing."

Cooper said it's important to provide written assurances to Albertans about how members will respond in future.

In urging the committee not to delay adecision, Calgary-Hays UCP MLA RicMcIversaid the committee owed it to the public to take action.

"Let's set the public's mind at ease, or at least let the public know that we are aware of their concerns,"McIversaid.

A sub-committee will now look at other issues related to the use of the MLA housing allowance, includingwhat should happento income generated when an MLA sells a home that he or she purchasedwhile collecting a housing allowance.

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Fildebrandtsublet his downtown Edmonton apartment onAirbnb, describing the suite as "modernly furnished and very well-kept."

He was charging between $50 and $83 a night for the apartment. He rented out the apartment several times between January and March, accumulating eight reviews of his apartment.

At that same time, he claimed $7,720 in accommodation allowance.

Fildebrandtpaid back the moneyhe made on the rental,once the postingbecame public.

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