“As far as I could tell, no other Member of the legislative assembly has invested in these companies, let alone a cabinet minister.”
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For a second time, Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill is under investigation by Saskatchewan’s conflict of interest commissioner (COIC).
This time, Cockrill is being investigated for his investment in two helium companies the province had contracts with, according to a letter sent to COIC Maurice Herauf by Opposition critic for ethics and democracy Meara Conway.
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“I have determined there were reasonable and probable grounds to proceed as directed by ss. 29(1) and 30(1)(a) of the (The Members’ Conflict of Interest) Act,” said Herauf in an email to the Leader-Post on Wednesday morning.
“According to Mr. Cockrill’s 2022 disclosure, he invested in Helium Evolution and Royal Helium while a member of cabinet. These particular investments raise questions given government initiatives to develop Saskatchewan’s helium industry, as well as ongoing government contracts with these companies” wrote Conway in her letter to Herauf.
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In a 2021 news release regarding the Helium Action Plan released by the government, Royal Helium president and CEO Andrew Davidson said the company was “proud to play a leading role in the sustainable development of Saskatchewan’s world-class helium resources.”
Both companies invested in by Cockrill have been granted permits by the province.
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In her letter, Conway quotes the year-end financial statement from Helium Evolution. According to the report, the company has “significant land holdings in Saskatchewan’s “helium fairway,” having been granted helium permits by the Government of Saskatchewan covering 5.6 million acres of land.”
Cockrill first disclosed his investment in Helium Evolution and Royal Helium on his 2022 conflict of interest statements. In 2023, Helium Evolution is again disclosed as an investment by Cockrill.
“As far as I could tell, no other Member of the Legislative Assembly has invested in these companies, let alone a cabinet minister,” wrote Conway, before outlining concerns over whether Cockrill recused himself from discussions at the cabinet table related to regulation, legislation, policy and the overall development as per section 10.
(Section 10 says that a member who “has reasonable grounds to believe that he or she has a conflict of interest in a matter that is before the Assembly or the Executive Council, or a committee of either of them, shall, if present at a meeting considering the matter: (a) disclose the general nature of the conflict or interest; and (b) withdraw from the meeting without voting or participating in consideration of the matter.”)
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“If so, is a “disclose and recuse” approach sufficient given that section 9 speaks to the perception of conflict as well?” Conway wrote.
Cockrill is already under investigation by the COIC for his connections to the North Battleford-based company Fortress Windows and Doors, a family business he previously managed before entering politics. He was first elected in 2020.
In 2021, Fortress Windows and Doors received $179,137 in contracts from the Battleford Housing Authority. In his first conflict of interest statement filed in February 2021, Cockrill is listed as an adviser to Fortress Windows & Doors Ltd. In 2022, he was listed as holding the position of “sales (part time),” and in 2023, no income was stated from the company.
Section 15 of the Members’ Conflict of Interest Act says no member may participate or have interest in a company that enters into a government contract to deliver goods, services or real estate agreements to a Crown entity.
Conway, who also triggered the first investigation by the COIC, said Cockrill “continued to derive the benefit from” his association with Fortress Windows & Doors Ltd. “and he did not seek an exemption under the Act.”
No update on that investigation was provided by Herauf on Wednesday.
More to come …
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