Manitoba’s ex-premier, Heather Stefanson, has settled an $18,000 penalty for breaching conflict of interest regulations. Stefanson made her payment on October 20, while PC MLA Jeff Wharton (Red River North) cleared his $10,000 fine on October 27, as revealed in a letter disclosed by Speaker of the House Tom Lindsey during Monday’s question period.
On October 7, members of the Legislative Assembly voted to impose fines on Stefanson, Wharton, and former PC cabinet minister Cliff Cullen. They were given a 30-day deadline to pay the fines. The status of Cullen’s $12,000 fine payment was not disclosed during the recent question period.
The decision to levy fines followed a report released in May by Manitoba’s ethics commissioner, which indicated that Stefanson, Cullen, and Wharton had engaged in inappropriate actions by pushing for approval of a silica sand mine project after the PC party’s defeat to the NDP in the October 2023 provincial election.
An official from the Manitoba Legislative Assembly stated that failure to meet the payment deadline would prompt the Speaker to inform the House during question period.
[Image: Progressive Conservative MLA Jeff Wharton (Red River North) during question period at the Manitoba Legislature on Oct. 1. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)]