New tally shows 2 municipal conferences cost taxpayers nearly $700K

The final tally for two municipal conferences shows that taxpayers in towns and counties across Nova Scotia were on the hook for close to $700,000, a CBC News investigation has learned.

The conferences hosted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities were held in Vancouver in 2013 and Niagara Falls in 2014.

The last two communities to report their expenses to CBC News were Pictou County and Cumberland County. Both replied since the original story was published on May 31.

• Original story: Nova Scotia municipalities spend $600K on 2 conferences

It turns out Pictou County was one of the top spenders overall, sending six people to each conferenceat a total cost of more than $37,000.

Only four municipalities spent more than Pictou County: Richmond County, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Amherst and Guysborough County.

Cumberland County sent five people to Vancouver and four to Niagara Falls, at a total cost of just over $30,000.

• INTERACTIVE: How much did your municipality spend to go to conferences?

The newest numbers put the total cost for travel expenses to the two conferencesat nearly $700,000, up from about $600,000.

CBC News asked for expense reports from all Nova Scotia municipalities. While some post the information on their websites, others required CBC News to make the request under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has called on the province to compel municipalities to make expenses public.

Municipal Affairs Minister Zach Churchill has said posting expenses online is the "optimal model" and one of the issues being considered in a current review of the Municipal Government Act.

• How much did it cost to send a CBC reporter to a conference on municipalities?