Barrie MPs' expenses look a little different this year due to COVID-19.
But as their constituents clamour for the most up-to-date information as the pandemic goes rolls on, John Brassard (Barrie-Innisfil) and Doug Shipley (Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte) say they have had to find ways to spend wisely.
Brassard and Shipley have been working in what is a new normal as COVID-19 changes the way many live, work and spend. And politicians are no exception, they say.
The release of the Members’ Expenditures Report for the first quarter of 2020-21 shows Brassard’s employee salaries at $48,402.42. While usually staffed by two full-time and two part-time staffers between his offices in the Barrie-Innisfil riding and Ottawa, the crisis brought on the need for a new position.
“People were scared and confused; they still are, really. I had to hire a communications person to handle the large amount of questions, concerns and, quite frankly, anxiety,” Brassard told BarrieToday. “We had shut the office down in March and staff worked from home. It seemed like everything was closed, but believe me, we were busier than ever.”
Brassard and his team noticed a high increase in website traffic when the pandemic hit in mid-March. The constant questions from constituents varied and covered several topics.
“There were a lot of questions from people wondering what was being done federally to assist them financially, questions about how they could get tested for the virus, and there were mental-health concerns,” said Brassard, whose riding includes the south end of the city — south of Tiffin Street — and all of Innisfil.
“Obviously, my staff isn’t equipped to handle mental-health issues, but I’m very proud of how they were really there for people, just to listen," he added. "Sometimes that is all some of the folks needed.”
Each MP receives an annual budget of $392,280, though there are some geographical and electoral supplements made depending on the member’s riding.
Brassard’s current budget spending is comparatively less than some other MPs across Canada. In some cases, MPs with nearly half the riding size are spending much more than the Barrie-Innisfil representative.
“Listen, it's no secret that I’m a fiscal Conservative,” Brassard said. “It isn’t my money to spend. It is given to me by the people of Barrie-Innisfil and I will spend it responsibly for them.”
Brassard, a former city councillor, has been in his current position as MP since 2015, while his counterpart from the other side of the lake, is in his first year.
Shipley, also a former councillor, has been the MP representing more than 81,000 constituents since winning the federal seat last October. While still somewhat new to the job, Shipley says his many years as a municipal politician have taught him how to spend.
“I’ve always tried to watch what I spend. Even during my nine years on city council, I was usually near the low end of spending amongst councillors,” Shipley told BarrieToday. “It is a different game as MP. I have to hire staff, I have to have an office.
"I don’t expense frivolous things and try to maintain the budget as I would my own," he added.
Shipley’s Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte riding is a mix of city and rural, with some constituents spread out the countryside in the 1,027-square-kilometre boundary, which stretches halfway to Orillia and north into the Moonstone area.
As COVID limited contact between people and usual visits with constituents at their homes or town during halls being out of the question, Shipley’s advertising budget reached $2,180 for the first three months of the pandemic.
“I had to spend some money. I have to keep my constituents informed, especially during COVID times,” Shipley said. “I’ve spent some money on mailers, some social-media stuff and advertising. With no gathering or meetings, we had to find ways for people to know what was happening.”
No one knows for sure how long the virus will continue to affect most things in people's daily lives, including their spending habits, but Shipley believes that as time passes, new ways of doing things will be picked up by everyone.
“Just like families who are redoing their home budgets and putting money into different categories, we need to do the same (as MPs),” Shipley said. “It isn’t about spending lots (of money), it is about spending smart.”
For more information on MPs' expenses, click here.
