About a month ago we received one of those ubiquitous "brown envelopes". The anonymous letter claimed that bureaucrats at the government-owned "Northpoint Energy Solutions" were being treated to annual trips to a fly-in fishing lodge in northern Saskatchewan on the taxpayer's dime. We decided that this needed to be investigated and filed a Freedom of Information request. In that request we asked for a breakdown of employee travel costs that includes the purpose, the destination, the dates and the cost for the past five years.
Intrepid CJME reporter Sarah Mills beat us to it and confirmed the allegations of the "brown envelope" (turns out the letter was sent to a lot of people).
Here is her story:
A newscentre exclusive "fish story" landed on the floor of the Legislature Wednesday afternoon.
The newscentre broke the story of how up to $40,000 will be spent to send employees of a wholly-owned subsidiary of SaskPower, and potential customers on an all-expenses-paid northern fishing trip. Northpoint Energy Solutions sells our surplus electricity outside the province.
The SaskParty's Donna Harpauer raised the issue.
"Last month, CJME uncovered two taxpayer-funded retirement parties for about 35 Department of Finance officials," said SaskParty critic Donna Harpauer, during Question Period. "Now, they've discovered that a SaskPower subsidiary has sent about a dozen of its staff on an all-expenses-paid fishing trip in northern Saskatchewan."
Today we received a response to our Freedom of Information (FOI) request. We received it exactly 30 days days from the day we filed our initial request -- the legal time limit under provincial FOI legislation. It was mailed the same day the story was brought up in the legislature buy the Saskatchewan Party.
In that letter Northpoint Energy Solutions inform us that they estimate it will take 50 hours of work to compile this information and are asking for $1,440 to pay for their costs. The kicker is that it doesn't include in-province travel costs. The $40,000 fly-in fishing trip wouldn't have shown up in their response even if I paid the $1,440.
A couple years ago, after the CTF exposed the province's Wide Open Future advertising campaign was around 1000 per cent over budget, the Premier committed his government to being more transparent. Apparently this was nothing more than political spin.
A complaint to the Information Commissioner is imminent.
12 comments:
Calvert has an information Commissar? What good will it do complaining to him, he's probably part of the expanded multi-million dollar a year Premier's communication department.
Keep up the good work!
Actually no. Saskatchewan's Information and Privacy legislation is inadequate, but the Commissioner is not the problem.
Unfortunately the OIPC is underfunded and hamstrung by bad legislation.
Mr. Dickson is definitely a solid Commissioner.
Should the government be spending my hard earned my on frivolous requests ?
If it costs $1440 to compile the work then the CTF should pay for the cost, not my tax dollars. You could use all money from those "memberships" you sell.
Maybe, you should investigate Wal Mart to see if they are spending our hardearned money on fishing trips.
Chad, providing information to the taxpaying public is part of doing business as a crown. This is a democracy. People have a right to easily access information about how their money is being spent. If your party was in the opposition you'd be singing a different tune.
Actually, I wouldn't as these corporations need to compete against the competition and this is one way. I am sure you would prefer they lose money and have to be shut down.
If your organization continues to demand frivolous information, you should pay for it. You can't demand less spending and taxes and then clog up the system at the same time. It is hypocritical.
Chad, I think you miss the point: there should be transparancy, and the access to information fees can be set arbitrarily high in order to make questionable business more oblique. In this instance, payment of the fee would not have revealed evidence of fishing trips. As for Walmart, they are a private entity, and they are not compensated if a government auditor demands information, and provided the request is reasonable, that is as it should be. Also, Walmart shareholders can demand information. But you seem to want to apply an equivalance between government and business, or resent oversight of government. I think that you are a statist, you trust government, apparently completely, and mistrust free enterprise. I choose freedom.
I didn't miss the point. I feel that private corporations should be held to the same level of transparency as public ones or vice versa. In order for a crown to compete it must play by the same rules as any corporation but groups like the CTF are insuring that the playing field is slanted in favour of their donors.
I am not a statist, in the rue meaning of the word. I do believe that government has a responsibility to its citizens to insure a high quality of life. Spin that how you wish.
Chad, your answer to a problem with a Sk Crown is to blame Walmart: this is moral equivalency and using "everyone does it" as a defence for your precious crown. Well, everyone does not do it, and your arguments are specious. There is a big difference between private business and government that you do not appreciate or respect. (ie: who cares if Walmart goes fishing? not I) Like many of your kind, you do not distinguish between other peoples hard earned money and your own "right" to appropriate it for "progressive" causes (such as subsidizing policitcal science students education etc...).
Nothing worse then someone that is afraid to put their names to their statements. It would seem they are embarrassed of their opinion, knowing that it is wrong.
Anon- am I to believe that you are against funding education or just political science ?
WalMart is an example but you should be concerned about how they spend your money, as it does reflect on the cost of your products. Profits are equivalent to a tax, you just don't have the freedom to decide who spends it and how. You are the type that wants everything but doesn't want to pay for it. Talk about a Utopian world.
I think anon was saying that it is not surprising for a person who is on the receiving end of government largesse is more likely to defend that largesse.
I highly doubt anon wants everything and wants other people to do pay. Most of use want do our own things and have the government leave us alone.
Why do I pay taxes so you can attend university and learn about socialism? It's ridiculous. If it's publicly funded, arts studentsshoudl be forced to take a class on how wealth is actually created.
Profits are the equivalent of a tax? That is worse than just plain dumb. Where to start? taxes are not voluntary. there is no competition with taxes (besides moving to Ab or the US, that is!).
Taxes are a necessary evil: profits are not.
You resent profit; you are envious. Envy is something that keep SK down, its what has propelled your NDpper friends to have the highest corporate taxes in Can; and ahve you seen today StatCan #'s?
We should be subsidizing workers for the trades, and heavily. We should be encouraging FN students.
But your studies are simply you endulging in your pendantic hobby, blissfully revelling in your own ignorant and self-righteous delusions. pay for it yourself, or most of it, if you can. You are smug, but i ahve nothing but comtempt for you. pissant.
yours truly:
better than Chad.
Choice in whether I pay the profit really, so I can walk into Sears and say, Hey knock off that 15% profit margin for the Fridge or Safeway for my food.
Your personal attacks are sign of your own insecurties and are compounded by your lack inability to stand behind your comments. I took the wealth creation class it is called economics, and I have never stated my opposition to private business. All I said is that it is all the same kettle of fish,no matter how you stir it and that is a pragmatic view missing from conservative idealogues.
On the topic of my education, I pay for my school from the money I earn working. My going to school is to get a degree so I may get a better occupation and provide my children with a better lifestyle.
I hope for the CTF sake and David MacLean that you do not represent the type of individual his organization is defending.
I feel that you should learn to think outside of your world and try to see the world through others, instead of bashing them and their attempts to better themselves. By the way, I'm Metis does that make it ok or do you have some half-breed comment.
- Equal to all.
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