Larissa Kurz
Regina Leader-Post
Saskatchewan’s conflict of interest commissioner (COIC) is investigating an NDP MLA to determine whether social media posts about her Regina cheese shop can be considered promotion of a personal business.
COIC Maurice Herauf says he received a request to review select posts made by Regina South Albert MLA Aleana Young and “determined there were reasonable and probable grounds to proceed” with an investigation under sections 29(1) and 30 of The Members’ Conflict of Interest Act.
The act restricts elected officials from using their role as MLAs to further private interests.
Saskatchewan’s COIC only considers complaints made by members of the legislature who are either currently sitting or have served within the previous 12 months. The commissioner does not take complaints from the public.
The involved parties in this review were notified by Herauf’s office earlier this month. Six posts are under question from Young’s accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter), dating back to 2021.
Content of those posts includes photos of Young with her child at the cheese shop she owns (Takeaway Gourmet), an image of a seasonal cheese board, and two posts on different platforms celebrating her business’s fifth anniversary in 2022. The name of the shop is tagged or referenced in some of the posts but not all.
“I’ve certainly never used my social media with any intention of being promotional but I do post,” Young said in an interview Wednesday.
“I use my social media, I think, like a lot of people do. I use it to talk about my family, for my work as an MLA, and I’ve absolutely posted over the years about being a small-business owner. It’s something I am really proud of.”
Young has listed Takeaway Gourmet as a source of income in her public disclosure forms since she was first elected in 2020. She said her business has not taken any government contracts during that time.
“This isn’t anything I’ve done secretly. It’s been right out there in the open and so this is honestly a bit of a surprise,” she said of the investigation.
Young argues there is “a stark contrast” in her posting occasionally on social media “compared to some of the other investigations that we’ve seen the commissioner undertake.”
The COIC is also investigating recently re-elected Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill on two matters. One is for government contracts with a window business that previously employed Cockrill and is owned by his family, while another is for his investment into two helium companies that receive government subsidies.
And Gary Grewal, former MLA for Regina Northwest, was recently found in breach of the act due to his ownership or affiliation with hotels that entered into contracts with the Ministry of Social Services.
Several MLAs on both sides of the aisle have social media accounts identifying themselves as sitting elected officials and post a mix of personal and government work-related content, Young noted.
Opposition shadow minister of ethics and democracy Meara Conway recently pointed out that the act was created before social media existed and therefore does not address online activity.
“Social media is a real grey area, and we think members of the Legislature should have policies fit for the twenty-first century,” said Conway in a news release issued last week.
The release states that the COIC is seeking to “clarify guidelines around the use of social media” for members of the legislative assembly and notes that Young is working with the commissioner.
“Technology is changing fast, and I’m sure my work with the Commissioner will be helpful for all members,” said Young in the release. “It’s a privilege to represent our constituents and we’re always looking at ways we can best use these new tools to communicate directly with them.”
Though no timeline for the review process is known, Young says she is open to whatever decision is made by the commissioner.
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“This is certainly novel for Saskatchewan, but I’m not the only MLA who uses their social media in this way,” she said. “I sincerely hope this sheds some light on how members of the legislature can and should use their social media going forward.”
lkurz@postmedia.com
