Wall under fire over private GTH emails

The Saskatchewan NDP wants a legislative committee to look at whether or not Premier Brad Wall made private emails available to the provincial auditor during her investigation into the GTH land deals.

Interim NDP leader Trent Wotherspoon said he is calling on the Saskatchewan Party government and premier to “do the right thing and come clean with his private political server and emails, with which they’ve been doing government business for a decade, which are all stored at Sask. Party headquarters.”

That call comes on the same day a report from the province’s privacy commissioner encourages government leaders to use government email systems provided by the Ministry of Central Services.

Wall’s use of private emails came to the fore in May, when the NDP requested documents relating to a 2016 trip he had taken to Texas. The premier’s office responded to the access to information request by releasing a portion, but not all, of the documentation requested. The NDP then learned one of the documents involved contained a private email address belonging to Wall, hosted on Sask. Party servers.

In response to criticism over the matter, Wall said he would start using only his government email for government business.

But now the NDP wants a public accounts committee to look into whether or not the premier turned over his private emails to the provincial auditor during the course of her investigation into the GTH land deals.

Two businessmen with financial ties to the Sask. Party made millions off of the GTH land deals.

Between 2013 and 2014, 204 acres of land were bought by the province at a price that was, according to the auditor, too high and an overspend of taxpayer money.

Provincial auditor Judy Ferguson said in a press release there was no evidence of wrongdoing during the course of her investigation, but it’s unclear whether emails involving Wall’s private Sask. Party account were made available to her.

“If the auditor hasn’t been given access, certainly she needs immediate access to that server,” said Wotherspoon.

“Clearly, to do an investigation, an independent officer requires all of the information related to the matter, in this case the GTH scandal.”

Ferguson’s office was asked if Wall’s private emails were made available during the GTH investigation, but didn’t say one way or another by the end of the day on Monday.

Wotherspoon says the NDP has “no level of confidence that that information has been turned over to the auditor for investigation.”

Meanwhile, the RCMP is doing its own investigation into the GTH land deals.

In a statement, the premier’s office said Wall “was not involved in any of the negotiations regarding GTH, and as he stated in the Assembly, he doesn’t negotiate government business via email.

“There are no emails that pertain to the Auditor’s review of GTH.”

It also said that Wall’s private server emails are “already in the process of being transferred over to the government server.”