{UAH} Premier Alison Redford repays $45K cost of South Africa trip

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Premier Alison Redford repays $45K cost of South Africa trip

CBC News Posted: Mar 12, 2014 4:47 PM MT Last Updated: Mar 12, 2014 6:45 PM MT

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Alison Redford pays back $45,000 for South Africa trip 1:02

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• Premier to repay some expenses, but defiant over $45K airfare

Alberta Premier Alison Redford has announced she has repaid the $45,000 cost of her trip to South Africa for Nelson Mandela's memorial.

Redford apologized Wednesday in a hastily-called news conference at the Alberta legislature where she took no questions from reporters.

"I want to sincerely apologize to Albertans for these costs," she said. "And I have put in place measures to make sure that this never happens again."

Redford said that she has heard from people with strong opinions on both sides of the issue. However, she says questions about the trip have become a distraction from her government's agenda. 

Shortly afterwards, Redford sent out a tweet apologizing to Albertans, with a link to a written statement.

Redford has been under fire for her travel expenses ever since the cost of the trip was made public.

The premier — who worked for Mandela in the 1990s — flew with Prime MInister Stephen Harper on his plane to South Africa.

However, she used an Alberta government plane to fly to Ottawa to meet up with Harper's flight and spent $10,000 to fly commercial back to Canada to see her new cabinet sworn into office.

In comparison, Nova Scotia premier Stephen McNeil spent less than $1,000 on the same trip.

Redford refused to pay back the costs, despite repeated calls by opposition members, because she was travelling on government business. 

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