'The needs of the client': Ministry refutes Sask. NDP allegations of gov't funnelling social service funding to MLA owned hotels
Tuesday night in government committee saw the Ministry of Social Services release documents revealing how much funding was sent to two Regina motels associated with Sask. Party MLA Gary Grewal.
The report showed in the three years prior to Grewal’s election in 2020 – the province paid the hotels just $1,309.
Since Grewal’s election, that number has risen to $731,194. Social Services has said it utilizes hotels when shelter spaces are unavailable.
The ministry has explained the increased funding to a rise of importance relating to assisting those with complex needs.
However, the Saskatchewan NDP have called the increase an explosion of public funds being funnelled to government officials.
Jeff Redekop, the executive director of income assistance delivery with the ministry, categorically denied the allegations.
“Frontline staff are looking for what options [are] available for clients who are in need,” he explained. “The ministry has generally no knowledge of who owns the hotel and has never been instructed by government to use a certain hotel.”
“It’s about the needs of the client,” he added.
Opposition critic for social services Meara Conway said the numbers don’t lie.
“Three quarters of a million dollars – it’s damning,” she said. “It’s right there in black and white. I know they want to make this about something personal. The numbers speak for themselves.”
Conway added that the hotel’s inflated their rates for rooms used by social services.
Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky has said amendments to the government’s procurement process and a pilot project are underway to bring hotel room related costs down.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE Evacuation order issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods as wildfire nears
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
BREAKING A ‘remarkable time’: After 8 years at the helm of Toronto Public Health, city’s top doctor Dr. Eileen de Villa announces resignation
The doctor who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic as the city’s top public health official is stepping down.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
BREAKING Sask. man faces 60 charges in child exploitation investigation, with crimes dating back to 2005
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.