A Manitoba cabinet minister says he’s selling his grocery business after he was found to have violated provincial ethics rules due to a contract the business had with the provincial government.
Ian Bushie, the minister of municipal and northern relations and Indigenous economic development, is the sole proprietor of Grandpa George’s, a family-run gas station and convenience store on Hollow Water First Nation on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.
He contravened the Conflict of Interest Act when a contract the business had with the provincial government, valued at $100,000, was renewed, ethics commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor announced Thursday.
The contract was to supply groceries and goods for crews fighting wildfires, and has been renewed consistently since it was first signed more than a decade ago, Bushie has previously said.
For the most part, MLAs are prohibited from holding a contract with government. Contracts in existence at the time of a member’s election are permitted, but renewals and extensions are not.
As such, Bushie — who has owned the business since 1996 and was first elected in 2019 — broke the rules when his contract was renewed on April 1.
Bushie won’t be punished
Schnoor, however, is not recommending any penalties for Bushie.
Bushie’s actions were inadvertent, and the MLA has apologized and accepted responsibility for his error, a news release from Schnoor’s office said.
Bushie said the contract was cancelled the day the Progressive Conservatives filed a complaint in June. The Opposition argued the Keewatinook MLA was unfairly granted a contract without allowing other people to bid on it, and that he failed to reveal the contract in his disclosure statement
At a Thursday news conference, Bushie told reporters that “upon reflection, I decided I wanted to go above and beyond,” and said he is now in the early stages of selling the family-run business.
“Being part of this team means being accountable. Selling my business shows my unequivocal commitment to my role on this team,” said Bushie, describing the NDP caucus in similar terms as his colleagues have used this week following the expulsion of Fort Garry MLA Mark Wasyliw.
“It’s important that I show that I am taking full responsibility for what has happened here, and I want to be able to assure Manitobans that they have trust in government across all of our caucus,” Bushie added.
He said the decision to sell the business was his own.
“This is a point in my life where it’s something to be able to not only show my commitment to the team, but also change that new chapter in my life.”
Only business to bid on contract
An online government directory says the province’s contract renewal in April with Grandpa George’s was awarded directly — meaning other businesses couldn’t bid — because the business is the only such operation in the immediate vicinity. Bushie has described it as the only grocery business within a 100-kilometre radius.
The province said it will rely on other contracts with existing suppliers if wildfire crews need supplies.
At the time of the PC’s complaint, Bushie said the actual amount paid through the contract had been “very minimal,” in comparison to the $100,000 valuation, as the amount depends on fire activity and the quantity of food and goods needed in any given year.
His office later said Bushie’s store was paid $1,872 in the fiscal year that ended in March.
Bushie previously said he did not disclose the contract because he felt he wasn’t required to.
Interim PC Leader Wayne Ewasko said in a statement Thursday he commended the commissioner for his work, and said the party will ensure its members are “well versed in the commissioner’s findings and his recommendations.”
Ewasko also said he looks forward to a public apology that Bushie has committed to making, according to the commissioner’s report.
Bushie said his decision to sell his business wasn’t influenced by Wasyliw being booted from the NDP caucus this week, which the party has said was due in part to his refusal to leave his law practice.
Wasyliw had pledged to wind down his legal work, but he changed his mind when he wasn’t appointed to cabinet after the NDP won last October’s provincial election.
His dismissal from caucus Monday was initially attributed to his failure to “demonstrate good judgment” since a colleague at the law firm where he works is defending convicted sexual predator Peter Nygard in court.
Caucus chair Mike Moyes has since said while that was the “final straw,” Wasyliw showed a pattern of deceit and disrespect before his removal.
Bushie said it’s up to each MLA to determine if they will maintain other business interests.
Billie Cross, deputy chair of the NDP caucus, stood beside Bushie at his Thursday news conference. She said she’s proud to own an online butcher shop, which her husband and one of her children operate full-time.
“That’s their livelihood, right? And I think it’s OK for that to happen,” she said.
Cross said the issue with Wasyliw wasn’t about running a business.
“[Our] problems with Mark stem from his relationships that he had with people in caucus, not being a team player, disparaging others. I’ve witnessed him disparage others publicly,” she said.
Wasyliw has denied those allegations. He said Wednesday he worked to be a team player because he knew he was on thin ice for refusing to close down his law practice as Premier Wab Kinew wanted.