The Alberta.ca site showed Samuel Blackett submitted expenses on May 10, a date on which the Premier was watching a hockey game in Vancouver

The interpretation that the expenses were connected to the hockey game seems to have been a fair one.  While other Tweets allege that the data was incorrect and is to be updated, the data has yet to be adjusted, and (as retrieved July 20th in the image below), would easily lead to the conclusion described.  Sam Blackett’s Twitter account currently makes no mention of any pending corrections to this data.

Is posting this data with such an interpretation “outrageous” or “defamatory”?  Does it merit a threat of legal action?  This behaviour is apparently new.  A request worded more like “The information you are using is incorrect and will shortly be updated now that your post has brought this to my attention – I’d appreciate you removing the posting in the meantime as the conclusions drawn are wholly incorrect” seems like it should be within the skillset of a press secretary to a provincial premier.



Data from the Alberta.ca Travel and expense disclosure site
Data from the Alberta.ca Travel and expense disclosure site as of July 20th 2024