Most overcharged campers now repaid: minister

REGINA — Provincial Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Kevin Doherty says 80 per cent of the $1.4 million that was overcharged to campers using Saskatchewan’s online campsite reservation system earlier this month has been repaid.

The government will pursue at least one of the companies it contracts to provide the system to recoup the money it has been giving to those affected, he said.

“I am fully confident we will recover those costs, the $100 we’re sending out to those who were overcharged. We’re dealing with justice officials and IT people now. I’ve had conversations with the attorney general,” Doherty told reporters in Regina after question period Thursday.

No public money will be used, the minister said, noting it hasn’t been determined yet which of the two companies involved is at fault.

“We’re not spending taxpayers’ money. We’re going after the service providers. We’ll get it sorted out which one of them was at fault here. You can appreciate I’m being advised by lawyers and justice officials, but I am fully confident we will recover these charges,” Doherty said.

About 1,500 people were affected when the campsite reservation system failed to properly interface with the financial processing system on a day earlier this month that saw many people trying to book.

The bookings are handled by a company called Camis that performs a similar service for other provinces and the federal parks system. All the province’s financial transactions are handled by a company called Moneris.

Opposition critic Cathy Sproule, who raised the topic in question period Thursday, discussed the system’s problems with reporters afterward.

“I think what we need to see is continued work on this system, or preferably we would get rid of it,” Sproule said.

“We know there are registration systems all over the world that don’t crash like this.”