Liberal leader challenges Manitoba premier in court for failing to disclose real estate sales

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefansonis fighting a formal complaint against her in court for failing to disclose real estate sales worth tens of millions of dollars, inapparent violation of provincial conflict of interest rules.

On Wednesday, the case was adjourned to a later date. Thelawyers representing Stefansonsaid the premierwould contest the matter.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont took the rare, if not unprecedented, decision of taking a legislative conflict of interest complaint to court.

SinceManitoba's conflict of interest commissioner doesn't have the authorityto investigate or punish violations of the disclosure rules,private citizens can choose tofile an affidavit with the Court of Queen's Bench, at a cost of $300, to ask a judge for a hearing with another judge.

Lamont took that routeto demand accountability from the government, he said. The party leader isrepresenting himself in court.

'No one is held to account'

"What keeps happening in Manitoba is that no one's ever held to account for their mistakes. There's a long history of scandals, whether it's the police headquarters or it's Crocus No one is ever held to account andno oneever faces their consequences, so itfundamentally, for me, is a matter of justice," he said afterwards.

Lamont said it is inappropriateof the premier to make these real estate sales and vote on matters that may impact property owners, without disclosing her own conflict of interest.

Earlier this year, the premier acknowledged it was an "oversight" on her part to sell off $31.2 million of properties and not notify the clerk of the legislative assembly within 30 days, as required for the disposalof any asset, which her real estate properties would be considered. Stefanson said she corrected the mistake immediately. She had previously listed the properties as her assets.

Thethree Winnipeg rental and commercial properties in question were owned by McDonald Grain Company Ltd.a real estate holding company that lists Stefanson as a director. They fetched a combined sum of $31.2 million when they were soldin 2016 and 2019.

In 2019, the company sold the Ritz apartment building at 859 Grosvenor Ave. for $7 millionand the Drury Manor apartment complex at 1833 Pembina Highway for $22.5 million.

In 2016, McDonald Grain Company Ltd. sold a storage facility at 351 Saulteaux Cres. for $1.7 million.

In a January 2022 statement, Stefanson said the privacy commissioner had confirmed that theproperty saleswere disclosed through the submission of conflict of interest forms.

But she failed to submit a form thatstated the sale had to be disclosed within 30 days.

"I apologize to Manitobans for my error in not filing my form and disclosing the sale of these assets within the 30-day timeline," her statement, sent via a spokesperson, said.

If thejudge determines a legislative assembly member violated the conflict of interest act, anMLA may be ordered to forfeit all or part of the asset, pay a fine of up to $5,000, face a suspension of up to 90 daysor pay restitution to the government.

The Opposition NDP initially asked conflict of interest commissionerJeffrey Schnoor for an opinion onStefanson's failure to disclose, but he said he couldn't tell the MLA his opinion of another member's obligations under the act.