‘Public deserves to know’: Saskatchewan NDP on MLA’s alleged conflict of interest

Saskatchewan’s Opposition is calling on the province’s conflict of interest commissioner to investigate a Sask Party member’s expenses, including his private flights that it alleges were improperly paid for.

The NDP call comes after Saskatchewan Party MLA for Moosomin-Montmare, Kevin Weedmark, took private intra-provincial flights and allegedly accepted gifts from his publication that are contrary to provincial regulations for elected officials. The MLA for Regina Elphinstone-Centre, Meara Conway, submitted a 23-page letter containing the party’s concerns and evidence to conflict-of-interest commissioner Maurice Herauf on Tuesday.

“It’s very clear that Mr. Weedmark has a pattern of utilizing his newspaper to sort of subsidize other activities,” Conway told reporters in Regina at the legislative assembly.

“The public deserves to know that there is a clear separation between our public roles and our private roles. That we are not using our public roles to derive a private benefit, and we are not using our private companies to prop up our roles as MLAs.”

Weedmark owns The World Spectator, a newspaper in his riding.

Conway alleged a member of that newspaper’s staff consistently appears with the MLA when he is performing the duties of an elected official, giving them special access that other media was not provided.

The staffer was said to be seen snapping photographs of Weedmark at numerous events. Those photos were shared on his official social media, and in some cases, were later published in the paper. Others never appeared in the paper, despite Weedmark sharing them online, she continued.

MLAs obtaining free or discounted gifts, such as photography services, for their personal gain is prohibited.

“This just goes to show that she (the reporter) is subsidizing his MLA work,” Conway said, adding that unlike other legislators who may grab a picture used by the media on occasion, Weedmark has consistently done so.

“That role of MLA and newspaper owner are totally intertwined.  It’s impossible to know where one stops and the other begins.”

At the time of publication, Global News did not receive a response to its inquiry to Weedmark about the newspaper reporter’s role.

The Regina-area MLA also raised concerns about Weedmark’s publication allowing other SaskParty members to politically advertise in it.

Weedmark’s office responded to those concerns in an emailed statement. It included a letter from the provincial Speaker that offered him a conditional exemption and allowed Weedmark to run certain political advertising so long as he is not reimbursed.

“The Speaker’s office, who advised me (advertising other MLAs in the readership area) would be allowable under certain conditions, which I have followed,” the email statement said, noting he was referred to the Speaker by Herauf’s office.

The MLA was exempt because his paper is one of the few that operates in the Moosomin region.

The Opposition said any exemptions should be revisited by officials following receipt of Conway’s letter.

Another issue highlighted by the NDP were the charter trips that Weedmark was accompanied by the reporter on, which were described as a “work travel vlog” in the reporter’s social media posts. Those flights included last August’s private charter.

When questioned about those incidents by the NDP previously, Conway said Weedmark would not answer whether or not the newspaper staffer’s expenses were also covered.

“Was it Weedmark the MLA? Or was it Weedmark the media baron? In what capacity did he charter these flights, because if he is paying for them, at all, through his newspaper, that again is a prohibited gift,” she said.

In a statement shared last month, the provincial legislative member claimed that the trips were charted from a local company at his own expense, clarifying that “there were no taxpayer dollars involved.”

His Oct. 13 response to the Opposition’s claims added that he requested the conflict-of-interest commissioner’s opinion on the private flights before taking off.

“Following the NDP’s allegations regarding two-chartered flights that I paid for personally, I requested an opinion from the Conflict-of-Interest Commissioner regarding those flights. The Commissioner concluded there was no conflict of interest in this matter,” Weedmark’s email statement for Global News read.

After receiving Conway’s letter, the independent conflict of interest office will determine whether it will consider the case based on the strength of the evidence provided.