Alberta’s NDP is accusing Premier Jason Kenney office for funnelling hundreds of thousands of dollars to his pals in no-bid contracts..The UCP response has been: Well you guys did it as well..An NDP release said Yorkville Strategies, the UCP’s polling company, “was handed $481,560 worth of taxpayers’ money through no-bid contracts, according to recently released government sole-source contract disclosures..The release said Yorkville’s president, Dimitri Pantazopoulos, was Kenney’s “senior strategic advisor” during the 2019 provincial election campaign.The release claimed since the election, Vek Labs – a video production company – has gotten $73,500 worth of public money through no-bid contracts to make “flattering videos of the premier.”.The release also claimed Enterprise Canada, a company run by Erika Barootes, who was president of the United Conservative Party through the 2019 election campaign, was handed $12,800 in no-bid contracts to provide “media training for the Premier’s Communications Staff and Minister’s Office Press Secretaries.”.Neither Yorkville Strategies, Vek Labs, or Enterprise Canada had won any government contracts before the 2019 election, the NDP said..“All Alberta companies should have a right to bid for government contracts,” said Heather Sweet, NDP Opposition Critic for Democracy and Ethics in a release..“Alberta taxpayers have a right to expect these companies to compete on price and value, and for public servants to select them based on the strength of their bid, not their coziness with the premier.. Defying crackdown, hundreds march against lockdowns in Calgary .“Jason Kenney is the most corrupt premier in Alberta history, and now he’s letting his partisan cronies skip the bidding and help themselves to taxpayers’ money. .“Jason Kenney shamefully diverted pandemic relief funding from taxpayers to subsidize his political party..“Now we see he’s also funneling Alberta taxpayers’ money to his partisan cronies’ companies. While Albertans are losing their jobs and businesses in massive numbers, Jason Kenney’s partisan cronies are laughing all the way to the bank with Alberta taxpayers’ money.”.Kenney’s issue manger, Matt Wolf, quickly took to Twitter to defend his boss, saying the NDP did the same thing when they were in power..“Let’s not forget John Heaney, one of @RachelNotley‘s former chiefs of staff. He was paid $287,000/year in that role. Then a few months after he left that role, he was swiftly handed a $130,000 contract from @joececiyyc‘s ministry. #ableg“, Wolf also tweeted..Kenney’s office also responded with a lengthy release..“The Government of Alberta has been polling more frequently recently in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it’s important to better understand Albertans’ views,” said the statement..“This government’s contracting has followed all applicable policies – the same policies that existed under the previous NDP Government..“Yorkville Strategies is on Communications and Public Engagement’s pre-qualified vendor list. This list exists so that polling can take place for rapidly emerging issues in a timely fashion (ex. COVID-19)..“Our government spent less last year than the former NDP government in 2018-19. Yorkville is but one firm able to provide government polling. .“The NDP’s criticism is rich:.“They provided $438,000 to NDP-linked campaign firm Stratcom. Stratcom was founded in Vancouver by a former Greenpeace director, and has had clients including the NDP (federal and provincial), the David Suzuki Foundation, Greenpeace, Ecojustice, and the Alberta Federation of Labour. .“Rachel Notley’s former chief of staff, John Heaney. He was paid a salary of $287,000/year. Just months after he left, he was awarded a $130,000 contract by the Ministry of Finance..“A former chief of staff to Saskatchewan NDP Premier Roy Romanow was awarded contracts worth $40,000 to “provide advice on…efficient working relationships” and to “make recommendations on processes and paper flow.”.“Most recently, it was even discovered that Rachel Notley is using tax dollars for Facebook ads to promote her new dog.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
Alberta’s NDP is accusing Premier Jason Kenney office for funnelling hundreds of thousands of dollars to his pals in no-bid contracts..The UCP response has been: Well you guys did it as well..An NDP release said Yorkville Strategies, the UCP’s polling company, “was handed $481,560 worth of taxpayers’ money through no-bid contracts, according to recently released government sole-source contract disclosures..The release said Yorkville’s president, Dimitri Pantazopoulos, was Kenney’s “senior strategic advisor” during the 2019 provincial election campaign.The release claimed since the election, Vek Labs – a video production company – has gotten $73,500 worth of public money through no-bid contracts to make “flattering videos of the premier.”.The release also claimed Enterprise Canada, a company run by Erika Barootes, who was president of the United Conservative Party through the 2019 election campaign, was handed $12,800 in no-bid contracts to provide “media training for the Premier’s Communications Staff and Minister’s Office Press Secretaries.”.Neither Yorkville Strategies, Vek Labs, or Enterprise Canada had won any government contracts before the 2019 election, the NDP said..“All Alberta companies should have a right to bid for government contracts,” said Heather Sweet, NDP Opposition Critic for Democracy and Ethics in a release..“Alberta taxpayers have a right to expect these companies to compete on price and value, and for public servants to select them based on the strength of their bid, not their coziness with the premier.. Defying crackdown, hundreds march against lockdowns in Calgary .“Jason Kenney is the most corrupt premier in Alberta history, and now he’s letting his partisan cronies skip the bidding and help themselves to taxpayers’ money. .“Jason Kenney shamefully diverted pandemic relief funding from taxpayers to subsidize his political party..“Now we see he’s also funneling Alberta taxpayers’ money to his partisan cronies’ companies. While Albertans are losing their jobs and businesses in massive numbers, Jason Kenney’s partisan cronies are laughing all the way to the bank with Alberta taxpayers’ money.”.Kenney’s issue manger, Matt Wolf, quickly took to Twitter to defend his boss, saying the NDP did the same thing when they were in power..“Let’s not forget John Heaney, one of @RachelNotley‘s former chiefs of staff. He was paid $287,000/year in that role. Then a few months after he left that role, he was swiftly handed a $130,000 contract from @joececiyyc‘s ministry. #ableg“, Wolf also tweeted..Kenney’s office also responded with a lengthy release..“The Government of Alberta has been polling more frequently recently in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it’s important to better understand Albertans’ views,” said the statement..“This government’s contracting has followed all applicable policies – the same policies that existed under the previous NDP Government..“Yorkville Strategies is on Communications and Public Engagement’s pre-qualified vendor list. This list exists so that polling can take place for rapidly emerging issues in a timely fashion (ex. COVID-19)..“Our government spent less last year than the former NDP government in 2018-19. Yorkville is but one firm able to provide government polling. .“The NDP’s criticism is rich:.“They provided $438,000 to NDP-linked campaign firm Stratcom. Stratcom was founded in Vancouver by a former Greenpeace director, and has had clients including the NDP (federal and provincial), the David Suzuki Foundation, Greenpeace, Ecojustice, and the Alberta Federation of Labour. .“Rachel Notley’s former chief of staff, John Heaney. He was paid a salary of $287,000/year. Just months after he left, he was awarded a $130,000 contract by the Ministry of Finance..“A former chief of staff to Saskatchewan NDP Premier Roy Romanow was awarded contracts worth $40,000 to “provide advice on…efficient working relationships” and to “make recommendations on processes and paper flow.”.“Most recently, it was even discovered that Rachel Notley is using tax dollars for Facebook ads to promote her new dog.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
