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A reckless and wilful disregard for the proper management of public funds. Gross mismanagement of public assets. Attempting to misappropriate intellectual property.

Deliberate attempts to underreport and conceal. Fostering a culture of fear.

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The loss of an estimated $2.3 million.

The 135 pages of investigative findings released Friday by Alberta’s auditor general, ethics commissioner and public interest commissioner make for a shocking and damning read.

At several points during my perusal of their four separate reports, I found myself frequently shaking my head, squinting my eyes, and saying “Jeez” under my breath — all in disbelief of what had been allowed to go on at the Alberta Energy Regulator the last few years.

As chief architect of the alleged behaviour outlined in the reports, the regulator’s former CEO, Jim Ellis, will rightly take most of the heat. His alleged actions to use AER resources to further a pet project were inexcusable and may have caused considerable long-term injury to both the image of the regulator and to the reputation of the province’s energy industry generally.