Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
Influence peddling. Abuse of position. Conflict of interest.
These are just a few of the lofty terms being bandied about in the public sphere this week following a recent story in the Brandon Sun.
On Tuesday, the Sun published the contents of an email sent by Brandon East NDP MLA Drew Caldwell to former city councillor Vince Barletta — who now works for the provincial government as the director in the priorities and planning committee of cabinet — and Premier Greg Selinger’s special assistant, Martin Gautron.
The comments, obtained by the Sun through an Access to Information request, were made after the Sun learned that the Brandon Folk, Music and Art Society had been denied federal funding for the $4-million Strand renovation project.
“I spoke with premier today about getting subscribed to the urban arts centre program and he was supportive,” Caldwell wrote. “We will have to turn this around asap to get this back on track quickly ... Would like (your) assistance doing this fast-track as the quicker we get a re-assessment, the better! An historic theatre on an historic downtown streetscape is pretty central to the development of an Arts and Entertainment Hub. ... Sheesh!”
That Caldwell has been a stalwart supporter of the Strand project is hardly a community secret, nor is the fact that his wife, Shandra MacNeill, is the artistic director for the BFMAS.
For three days this week, Brandon West Progressive Conservative MLA Reg Helwer has conducted a smear campaign against Caldwell and his boss, Premier Selinger on the floor of the Manitoba legislature. On Tuesday, Helwer stood up during question period and asked Selinger directly if he had personally “fast-tracked taxpayer funding for the Strand project ...” He also noted that a “family member” of the Brandon East MLA was involved. On Wednesday, the big guns came out, as Helwer questioned whether Caldwell was guilty of influence peddling. And yesterday, he suggested the Office of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner should get involved.
All of this was done under the protection of absolute privilege given to our politicians inside the legislature.
Interestingly, Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen, a far more seasoned politician than the Brandon West backbencher, decided not to mention questions of conflict of interest or influence peddling during an interview with the Sun.
“The questions people are asking relate to whether or not there is a business plan to support this project, where this project fits in with the other priorities of the people of Brandon. How do you pay for this project when the government is running record deficits and increasing taxes on Manitobans? That’s really the issue.”
There remain legitimate concerns regarding the Strand’s business plan — it was rejected by the federal government for being too optimistic, after all. Yet we also note that at a time of federal spending cuts where civil servants across the country are losing their jobs, and vital programs and departments are having their operating budgets slashed, saying no to a small renovation project that has ties to members of Manitoba’s NDP would be politically expedient.
As for Caldwell, community booster that he is, he has openly supported several projects within the city, be it the creation of a casino in Brandon’s downtown together with former Brandon West PC MLA Rick Borotsik, various affordable housing initiatives — including the Senior’s Housing Co-op — the renovation of the Provincial Exhibition’s Dome Building or his efforts to convince the province to allow the Assiniboine Community College move to its beautiful North Hill campus.
This is what part of what we should expect from our local politicians — community building.
In this case though, the Strand Project happens to be a bit closer to home, and his emailed comments may give the impression of some kind of conflict of interest. But in reality, the BFMAS is a registered charity, run by a board of unpaid volunteers who have been working hard to make the Strand project happen.
The society is not a business, and we have no reason to believe that Caldwell — who isn’t currently a BFMAS board member — or MacNeill stand to benefit financially from the Strand project, a situation that negates the possibility of questions of influence peddling or conflict of interest.
Nevertheless, he would have been better off leaving well enough alone and letting the board members handle their own affairs. It was a mistake, and as a result his political and personal enemies have smelled blood in the water.
There are times to ask legitimate questions over government spending, political priorities and the viability of community projects. But now a line has been crossed.
Having Brandon fractured along antagonistic political fault lines is bad news for our community.
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition May 4, 2012
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Influence peddling. Abuse of position. Conflict of interest.
These are just a few of the lofty terms being bandied about in the public sphere this week following a recent story in the Brandon Sun.
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Influence peddling. Abuse of position. Conflict of interest.
These are just a few of the lofty terms being bandied about in the public sphere this week following a recent story in the Brandon Sun.
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