Whether you like it or not, at least High Prairie town council is consistent.

When Linda Cox was mayor, she was roasted and heavily criticized for footing the bill and forwarding it to taxpayers when opposition politicians arrived in High Prairie. “Partisan politics,” screamed her dissenters.

Over the last 30 years since I’ve been here, local politicians attended so many golf tournaments for political parties they should have lowered their handicap enough to join the pro tour.

Since then, the rules have changed forbidding these same politicians to attend such events on the backs of the taxpayer.

Last week, Premier Rachel Notley was in Slave Lake. A $100 a plate fundraiser was quickly organized. According to my spies, here are a few of the people who attended. It is ripe with local politicians.

* Big Lakes County – Reeve Ken Matthews, Ken Killeen and Robert Nygaard;

* Peavine Metis Settlement – chair Ken Noskey;

* Northern Lakes College – Ray Stern and CAO Ann Everett;

* Woodland Cree Nation – Chief Isaac Laboucan-Avirom;

* There were also politicians from the M.D. of Opportunity and Fort Chipewyan.

* and from the Town of High Prairie: no one!

Interesting!

As stated above, the Alberta government has rules in place forbidding local governments from supporting their favourite political parties. So, who paid the $100 for these politicians to attend, I don’t know.

Ah, but they can be very sneaky about it. Big Lakes County and High Prairie town council do pay monthly honourariums to its councillors so they can use that dough to pay for the dinner and nothing can be said.

After all, that money is earmarked for duties during the month. In this case, attending the Notley dinner is a way local politicians can keep the presence of their government at the forefront.

Regular readers of this column know I despise the fact you have to do plenty of political schmoozing to sometimes get ahead. It is a necessary brutal and evil part of the game of politics. Determining the cost and potential value of the trip is the question.

To their credit, these people above did attend to represent their local government. The cost was cheap.

And do not think for a minute that Notley and Lesser Slave Lake MLA Danielle Larivee did not notice who was there.

And, more importantly, who was not.

Make no mistake about it, these people did not attend Notley’s dinner because they suddenly fell in love with the NDP government. A few years ago, some of these people were making little NDP dolls and sticking pins in them.

These people attending were representing their local governments to give them a presence and – well – schmooze.

Except for High Prairie town council!

Let’s tie the Notley fundraiser to the upcoming trip to Halifax. It is mystifying that no one on town council would foot the bill to attend Notley’s dinner and represent our town. This is the premier, the most powerful person in Alberta, and one of her ministers, Larivee, also a powerful figure in government.

Yet, these same councillors who snubbed Notley and Larivee, are trotting down to Halifax in a few weeks to schmooze with federal Liberals at a convention. The cost is estimated at over $5,000.

I ask you a simple question: is there better value in going to see Premier Notley 110 km down the road at a total cost of about $200 or going to Halifax?