UCP minister’s Kentucky travel expenses trigger debate in Alberta legislature

A trip Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally took to Kentucky last year is under scrutiny by the Opposition, who is questioning thousands of dollars in expenses filed under taxi services.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi brought up the expenses in question period at the Alberta legislature on both Wednesday and Thursday, pointing to receipts from Nally’s trip totalling more than $4,000.

“Why would the premier allow her minister to claim booze cruises at Kentucky distilleries as taxi receipts?” Nenshi said.

Nally went to Kentucky from Sept. 2-8, 2025. A government news release at the time billed it as a trade-strengthening trip to explore branding and tourism opportunities for Alberta’s distilling industry.

The news release said Nally would meet with lawmakers and industry leaders “to gain insights into the legislative framework behind bourbon’s legal designation, the creation of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and strategies that have successfully attracted investment and visitors.”

Learning how Alberta can apply similar strategies at home was one of the goals, the province said.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.

The itinerary included industry and distillery tours on four of the days five days Nally was slated to be in Kentucky.

Some of the expenses include charges from Sip Kentucky, which bills itself as “Kentucky’s premier private bourbon tour experience.”

Nenshi accused Nally of charging an expensive bourbon tour to taxpayers.

“He went on a bourbon tasting tour of Kentucky and he charged these egregious amounts to the taxpayer,” Nenshi said.

Nally’s press secretary said the minister was too busy to speak with reporters Thursday.

Finance Minister Jason Nixon was directed to look into the expenses and said no taxpayer money was spent on alcohol.

“What the NDP alleged in (question period) today is categorically false according to those receipts, and the minister did not expense alcohol associated with those receipts,” Nixon said to reporters.

Nixon said Sip Kentucky was hired exclusively to provide transportation and argued the costs were comparable to hiring a van service for several people.

“It’s pretty much in line, with the hours they would be in those vehicles, of what it would cost to hire a van service that’s transporting multiple people,” Nixon said.

Political scientist Lori Williams said the expenses raise questions about the value taxpayers received from the trip.

“There are questions about what the expense was actually paying for, that’s the kind of question that can do damage,” Williams said.

Premier Danielle Smith defended the purpose of such trips when questioned about the expenses in the legislature Thursday.

“These kinds of events go to building up our whisky industry. We also want to have an Alberta whisky tour here,” Smith said.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.