Former Sask. Party backbencher broke conflict rules with hotel contracts

REGINA — A conflict-of-interest investigation has found a former Saskatchewan Party backbencher broke the rules when his two hotels did business with the province.

The report from commissioner Maurice Herauf says Gary Grewal breached conflict-of-interest legislation when the Sunrise Motel and Thriftlodge Motel entered contracts with the social services ministry.

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The report says Grewal was told in December 2023 his companies should stop taking part in the contracts, but he did not.

The Opposition NDP raised the issue last year when it found one of his hotels had raised rates for a social services client when the ministry started paying her bill.

The province has spent $732,000 on Grewal’s hotels since 2018 for social services recipients.

The Saskatchewan Party government then changed its hotel policy, saying it now gets quotes from three hotels and directs clients to the cheapest one while considering their safety needs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press