The Saskatchewan NDP continues to call out a tire recycling contract sent out-of-province, while the environment minister washes her hands of it.

The recycling contract had been made by Tire Services of Saskatchewan, a non-profit created at the direction of the province, to California-based CRM, a company that used former Sask Party Finance Minister Kevin Doherty as a lobbyist. Previously, Saskatoon-based Shercom Industries recycled tires for the whole province.

NDP MLA and ethics critic Meara Conway read the contract's request for proposal into Hansard.

"The TSS, through this RFP, is looking to increase value-added processing in the province with new products and/or new markets and wants to minimize overlap with the offerings of the existing processor in the province."

Conway asked, "Why was this RFP written to explicitly exclude the Saskatchewan company that was already doing the work?"

Environment Minister Christine Tell said previous minister Dana Skoropad had met with CRM, but only after the RFP was awarded for the south. “And that’s all I know. But I have not met with him," she added.

Tell said she did not "oversee operational decisions of TSS" and it was only her job to “ensure that the tire recycling in the province of Saskatchewan adheres to certain standards."

Tell said "nothing precluded Shercom from putting their name in and responding to the RFP" for the southern provincial contract, awarded to CRM in 2022. The RFP closed on the bid for the northern part of the province in January but a contract has not yet been awarded.

In a media scrum with reporters at the legislature, Tell explained, "The previous minister had an introductory meeting with CRM after they had been awarded the contract to the RFP for the southern processor, and that's all I know, but I have not met with them."

Tell was asked if it made sense if a lobbyist could be employed if he could have no bearing on decisions made.

"It doesn't matter whether it makes sense to me and it is not my concern," Tell said, explaining the contract for southern recycling had been given to CRM before Doherty was registered as lobbying for them.

Lobbyists do not need to register their activities in Saskatchewan unless their lobbying time reaches a threshhold of 30 hours of activity.

When asked what the business case for two processors was, Tell replied, "Driving, taking up the driving the whole length and width of the province, there's lots of gas, lots of greenhouse emissions, all of it, but that wasn't that wasn't the only reason."

The Western Standard asked what was happening to northern tires in the meantime.

"As far as I'm aware that the tires from the north are currently leaving Saskatchewan. That's, that's all I know. I have not received a report from TSS. But they're the ones that can answer those questions."

Then, Tell corrected herself.

"The majority of them, you know what, I shouldn't really say that. Really, because the majority of tires all the tires, the only processor, tire processor that we have right now in the province is the southern, so everything is shipped."

Later, Tell admitted she had not read the business case she previously commented on.

"TSS did a research and they got a paper that was done on it or some sort of information, I have never seen it. But that is where they will lay out or they will tell you what the reasons were."

A formal request by Shercom for the 22-page report by TSS on the business case for having two processors was only released with the results fully redacted.

The Western Standard asked, "Would you have any interest in looking at that report to see why this change was made in the first place that has displaced a Saskatoon business?"

Tell replied, "My job is to ensure that the regulations that TSS was created under, ensure those regulations are followed. That is what my oversight involves. I don't involve myself in the day-to-day or business operations of TSS."

Conway told reporters this was clearly Tell's file.

"I don't put much stock in what the minister says," Conway said.

"On the organizational chart, she is responsible. She as the minister under the guiding act as responsible for stewardship programs for approving the policies and terms of those."

The NDP MLA said a business case has yet to be made for having two processors in the province.

"There just wasn't the the inventory, there wasn't the work to support that. The history bears that out, there's been a lot of struggles stabilizing this area."

Conway said she was still trying to acquire the business report and was stunned to hear the minister doesn't even want to look at it.

"How can she ensure that the regulations are being followed that the legislation and the regulations are being followed if she hasn't read the report? How, as the minister, would she have signed off on these changes if she hasn't even read the business case or the justification for these changes? I mean, it's very concerning," Conway said.

"It's looking like one big fat tire fire, for lack of a better term. This is a dumpster fire. I don't know what else to say."

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