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The gallery’s original 2016 travel budget included “institutional and program development” trips to Toronto, Europe and Asia, as well as an “indigenous relations development” trip to Ottawa and an “institutional, program, and sponsor development” trip to the United States, the report notes.

In a letter submitted to council, Remai trustee Scott Verity said, “In keeping with initiatives aimed at managing project costs leading to the opening of the Gallery, our management team has undertaken to reduce 2016 travel to under $50,000 with any savings going to transition and/or project costs.”

A spokeswoman for the gallery said Gregory Burke, the Remai Modern’s executive director and CEO, was not available for comment Friday. Verity, who said in the letter that he plans to address council on Monday, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lorje said she requested travel expenses for the city’s three controlled corporations — the Remai Modern, TCU Place and SaskTel Centre — after hearing concerns about “an awful lot of travelling.”

While TCU Place and SaskTel Centre — which spent $6,734 and $47,817 respectively — offered clear justifications for trips, the gallery’s use of terms like “program development” and “donor stewarding” was mystifying, she said.

“There’s not a lot of fulsome explanations about this … For me, it was very difficult to grasp the value of these trips and what, if anything, came from them,” Lorje said, noting that while she understands the need for some out-of-province travel, it’s important that the gallery’s board of directors ensure “the best possible use of public money.”

Mayor Don Atchison said while there’s often a “fine line” between prudent use of public funds and an organization’s need to fulfil its mandate, some travel is necessary for the Remai Modern. At the same time, it’s unclear what descriptions like “market development” and “institutional donor & program development” mean, so council will ask Burke to justify the gallery’s travel expenses on Monday, he said.

“It certainly provokes a lot of questions,” Atchison said of the report.

amacpherson@postmedia.com

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