Harpauer agrees to pay hotel bill for personal visit
Village of Pinehouse covered stay for finance minister and partner
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer says she will repay the bill for a 2016 hotel stay for herself and her partner in the Northern Village of Pinehouse that was paid for by the village itself.
The Starphoenix obtained a copy of an invoice this fall which was made out on Aug. 18, 2016 by a business located in Pinehouse that provides nightly, weekly and monthly living quarters. The Northern Village of Pinehouse was billed for a one-night hotel stay for two people on Aug. 12 and 13. A cheque was made out to the business for $319.
Harpauer was listed as the guest on the invoice, although her name was misspelled “Haurpeur.”
Harpauer was first contacted by MBC Radio, which posted a story on its website, citing a second instance when village funds were used to pay for the cost of accommodations in the village for a booking in her name.
In a statement emailed to the Starphoenix on Friday, similar to a statement also received by MBC, she acknowledged the trips took place. Harpauer wrote that she took a personal trip to Pinehouse with her partner at the invitation of a personal friend in August 2016, and that in August 2018, her partner took a personal trip to Pinehouse, without her.
Harpauer said she believed the accommodations were paid for by a personal friend.
That friend has now been identified as Conrad Misponas, a Pinehouse village councillor.
“I am extremely concerned to learn that our accommodations were actually paid for by the Northern Village of Pinehouse.
“I did not expect these costs to be paid for by the Northern Village of Pinehouse, and I am taking immediate action to remedy this situation,” Harpauer wrote in the statement.
She did not declare any gifts or benefits in her 2016 public disclosure statement.
Members of the provincial legislature are required to include gifts on their public disclosure statements, as outlined in the Members Conflict of Interest Act. The requirement applies to any gift connected directly or indirectly with the performance of a member’s duties in office that is valued at more than $200.
Harpauer has also contacted the Saskatchewan Conflict of Interest Commissioner, Ronald L. Barclay, to ask him to provide an opinion on the matter.
On Friday, the NDP released a statement calling for more answers and an expanded investigation into Pinehouse.
Between June 2014 and August 2016, Harpauer was the Minister of Social Services and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. In August 2016, she was appointed the Minister of Government Relations and Minister responsible for First Nations, Metis and Northern Affairs.
Pinehouse is the subject of an investigation into its delayed responses to requests for information made under freedom of information and privacy legislation. The investigation came after the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ron Kruzeniski, wrote what was his office’s 13th report on the village’s responses to freedom of information requests. The last request, made by Saskatoon resident D’arcy Hande, sought remuneration and expense information for Mayor Mike Natomagan, village administrator Martine Smith and Misponas.
Accessing Pinehouse’s financial records has been more difficult recently. The village’s website, which contains its audited financial statements, is no longer working. The village’s website formerly included its annual financial statements. Versions of the site, however, are viewable by searching the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, which captures web pages at various points during their existence. However, documents are not available via the archive.
Smith declined to comment.