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City council members are permitted to expense a limited amount of hosting costs to the city. To avoid being in violation of the rules, Magliocca’s expenses had to be paid through his ward office budget as well as city corporate accounts.

“They’re allowed $100 a day in hosting,” said Coun. Ray Jones, who chairs the co-ordinating committee of the councillors’ office. Jones said it’s not uncommon for councillors to exceed the limit, but they must have a valid reason for the expenditure.

“Joe hasn’t been an easy one to track down. His expenses are a little bit more and we’ve told him a couple of times that he’s allowed $100 a day, but he has exceeded it.”

Photo by Postmedia Archive/Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

According to publicly available documents, Magliocca expensed $1,207 in meals and drinks to his ward office budget to cover hosting costs at the Quebec City conference.

Documents revealed Magliocca also submitted receipts for a further $568.97 in hosted meals and drinks — including a $331 bar tab at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, where martinis and cocktails were consumed by a group that included Coun. Ward Sutherland, Chestermere deputy mayor Yvette Wagner, Sylvan Lake Mayor Sean McIntyre and the mayors of Mississauga, Ont., and Sooke, B.C.

Magliocca also expensed a $238 meal of steaks and wine with Brooks Mayor Barry Morishita at a restaurant near Old Quebec’s historic district.

‘I was there working hard’

Magliocca told Postmedia he was doing his job by hosting officials from all over the country. He said his focus was following through on a council-approved priority to advocate for Calgary’s beleaguered energy sector.

“I’m the councillor who represents at FCM for all of Calgary,” said Magliocca. “My job was to go around, I met with mayors, I met with tons of different councillors to talk to them about our energy sector in Calgary and how we’re hurting and how we can move forward.

“I was there busting my chops. I was there working hard getting stuff done.”

Magliocca said Calgary doesn’t host official hospitality suites at FCM, as some other cities do, and that he had to “go out there and do it on my own.”

“And I have expenses, absolutely. I go out for lunches with them, I go out for dinner or a cocktail, whatever the case may be,” said Magliocca, who said he has also spent a significant amount of his own money on hosting at different events while serving on the FCM board of directors.