Kananaskis Golf Course payments should be probed by Auditor General, says NDP
Kan-Alta received $5.4M from the government
The Alberta NDP is asking Auditor General Merwan Saher to investigate the government's deal with Kan-Alta Golf Management to operate the Kananaskis Country Golf Course.
Brian Mason, the NDP candidate in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, wants Saher to probe why the government is paying $9.3 million to the company, which has connections to the Progressive Conservative party.
Mason alleges the arrangement appears to have violated the the government's policies for procurement and sole-sourced contracts. He wants Saher to find out how the government assumed liability for flood damages.
"I am asking that you conduct a full investigation into the sourcing of the contract and any subsequent dealings and arrangements the government has had with Kan-Alta Golf Management," Mason wrote.
"Also that you look into whether assuming liability after the flood occurred is in accordance with best practices for government services."
Flood damage compensation
Kan-Alta received $5.4 million from the government to make up for lost revenue, maintenance and costs incurred while the golf course is closed due to damage from the 2013 floods.
When the issue was raised in the legislature, Progressive Conservative Leader Jim Prentice said the government's contract with Kan-Alta would be reviewed. He vowed that no additional money would be paid while that process was underway.
However, the Calgary Herald revealed this week that the company received another $3.9 million in the last three months of 2014.
Kan-Alta was awarded the contract in the early 1980s to operate the provincially-owned golf course.
The government claims it cannot release the agreement without getting permission from the company.