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Alberta Politics

Fort McMurray MLA Mike Allen arrested in U.S. prostitution sting

Mike Allen MLA
Mike Allen MLA

Mike Allen is the second MLA to resign from the Progressive Conservative caucus since last year’s election. The Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo MLA resigned today from the Tory caucus after he was arrested in a prostitution sting in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The first-term MLA and former Wood Buffalo municipal councillor was in St. Paul to represent the Government of Alberta at the Council of State Governments Midwestern Legislative Conference. According to a Government press release, Calgary-Fort MLA Wayne Cao was also attending the conference.

This was Mr. Allen’s fourth trip to the United States as an official representative of the Alberta Government since he was elected. In 2012, he attended conferences in Cleveland, Ohio and Madison, Wisconsin and in 2013 he attended a conference in Washington state as a representative of the Premier’s Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship.

Mr. Allen’s resignation letter was published on the Edmonton Journal website:

“Today, I informed the Chief Government Whip of a legal incident that I have been involved in. Pending resolution of this incident, I have resigned from the government caucus and all legislative committee effective immediately. I apologize to my family, my friends, my constituents, my colleagues, my staff, and to all Albertans for the embarrassment I have caused in failing to live up to the standards expected of me and the standards I expect of myself. I made this mistake as a result of a profound lapse in my personal judgment. It is a mistake for which there are no excuses and for which I accept full responsibility. This is deeply embarrassing moment and all I can say is that I am sorry and I humbly ask for forgiveness. I will work long and hard to regain the trust of the many I have let down.”

Mr. Allen was first elected in 2012, defeating former Tory cabinet minister-tuned-Wildrose MLA Guy Boutilier. In 2012, he was appointed by Premier Alison Redford as the special advisor to the Minister of Transportation for highway 63.

Mr. Allen is the second MLA to resign from the governing Tory caucus since the 2012 election. In May 2013, Edmonton-Manning MLA Peter Sandhu resigned from the PC caucus after a CBC investigation revealed that a company owned by the politician had accumulated a trail of unpaid debt and that he made a false statement in a sworn affidavit.

6 replies on “Fort McMurray MLA Mike Allen arrested in U.S. prostitution sting”

Please resign! Nothing changes – he still got a nice trip, has same paycheque. Can we not ask for a higher standard.
In fact 2 MLAs should have resigned by now. One tries to cover up a wrong with false affadavid and one with prostitution offence. What do these guys have to do before they are fired?????
What would private industry do ? And the reason they get the big bucks is because “we want to attract the best to politics”. Will here are 2 of the best!!!!!!

While it is reasonable for him to resign from his party caucus while the matter is before the courts, I think the suggestion that he needs to resign his seat, leaving it vacant, is going too far. As is everyone accused of a crime, he is to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and he has not even been formally charged.

There has been a great deal of concern expressed here and elsewhere about penalties being exacted without a conviction, such as the .05 rule on driving after drinking alcohol, so-called “proceeds of crime” seizures, and so on; it would be intellectually dishonest to then turn around and suggest that Mr Allen needs to resign his seat when he has not been convicted of an offence.

This is in no way an endorsement of the behaviour which is alleged to have taken place, only that as of today it is just that, only an allegation.

jeez jerrymacgp, give me a break. he solicited and paid for services from two undercover cops. it’s a misdemeanor in the US but that’s not the point. wayne cao went to a museum. mike allen went to town.
end of story. this is not a man that i would like to have representing our province on official business or at all.

Which brings about the question: If he and Sandhu resign, does that trigger a byelection?

twistin lefties into a knot for 42 years, if this dudes wife isn’t trouble enough for him, all you NDPee and Wackie Rosies harping is wasted breath. Talks out of the sides of his mouth, has been running verbal diarrea all day on whatever leftie talk show he could get to listen, remember the closet door is still closed on a lot of garbage that will soon come out.

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