MPI executive reimbursed $23,500 for commute expenses
MPI executive reimbursed $23,500 for commute expenses | Insurance Business Canada
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MPI executive reimbursed $23,500 for commute expenses
Commuting arrangement is ‘not acceptable,’ according to board chairman
Insurance News
By
Mika Pangilinan
A former executive at Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) was reimbursed a total of $23,500 for frequent travel expenses, including flights, hotel stays and meals, a newly obtained document revealed.
The document, obtained by the Canadian Press through a freedom of information request, included a detailed breakdown of expenses related to trips made by Siddhartha Parti as he went between Winnipeg and his home in Toronto as often as twice a month.
Parti was chief information and technology officer and vice president at MPI until his departure last month.
Company officials previously disclosed that Parti had been allowed to reside in Ontario while receiving reimbursements for trips to Manitoba under an arrangement that was approved by former president and CEO Eric Herbelin.
‘Not acceptable’ arrangement
According to the document, Parti’s expenses include thousands of dollars in flights over a seven-month period, since April of the previous year. For instance, a trip from January 8 to 11 incurred an airfare cost of $914, while another trip from January 22 to 26 amounted to $714.
Hotel stays in Winnipeg were also covered, with expenses totalling $990 for the late January visit and $396 for a brief stay in early February.
Reimbursed visits to Winnipeg occurred at least twice in each of the months from January to April, the document showed, with additional expenses covering taxi fares and meals.
A portion of the £23,500 total reimbursements was attributed to legitimate business trips, including a meeting with Microsoft officials in Redmond, Washington.
“Based on an arrangement that was made between this individual and the former CEO, travel costs to and from Manitoba were charged back to the company,” he said last month. “That was another reason I found this not to be an acceptable arrangement.”
Parti was subsequently asked to relocate to Manitoba, but he chose to resign instead.
MPI communications manager Kristy Rydz said the expenses were monitored and tracked in accordance with corporate directives.
“Moving forward, the board’s expectation is that all officers of the corporation are expected to reside within the province, as previously stated by the board chair, Ward Keith,” Rydz told the Canadian Press.
Keith also commented on Herbelin’s dismissal: “I can’t provide specifics on the investigation itself or the substance of the board discussions out of respect for Mr. Herbelin’s privacy, other than to say that when the findings were discussed with the board, the board determined that the employment should be terminated.”
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