REGINA, Sask. — Sask. Party MLA Kevin Weedmark is rejecting conflict-of-interest allegations from the opposition NDP involving his newspaper interests and two chartered flights he says he paid for personally.
“The NDP continue to make unfounded allegations,” Weedmark said in a response Tuesday, following a news conference at the legislature by NDP MLA Meara Conway.
There, Conway provided copies of a 21-page submission she made to the Conflict of Interest Commissioner seeking an opinion on “whether MLA Weedmark is in violation of The Members’ Conflict of Interest Act prohibition against accepting personal benefits connected to the performance of public duties and participating in government contracts,” according to an NDP news release.
The allegations were in connection with Weedmark’s financial interest in his publishing company, which publishes the Moosomin World-Spectator.
Conway alleged the following about Weedmark:
She pointed to a potential violation of section 7 of The Members’ Conflict of Interest Act, which prohibits MLAs from receiving certain gifts or personal benefits connected to the performance of their official duties.
This was in particular connected to Weedmark’s use of private aircraft, which he chartered to travel to and from events on two occasions.
Conway accused Weedmark of not providing proof or answering questions about what he actually paid and whether he paid full commercial value.
Conway also pointed to Ashley Bochek, who has been identified as working as a reporter, photographer and, recently, assistant publisher with the World-Spectator, and questioned why she accompanied him on the various occasions and whether Weedmark’s business, the World-Spectator, had subsidized either trip.
“Ashley Bochek is very clear that she is traveling in a work capacity. That raises the question whether the World Spectator contributed to this flight. That's never been answered,” said Conway.
Conway also pointed to section 15 of the Act, which prevents participation in government contracts. She asked whether Weedmark had disclosed any advertising by MLAs in his newspaper.
“You have several Sask Party MLAs advertising. Mr. (Warren) Kaeding, Mr. Daryl Harrison, Mr. (Michael) Weger, Mr. (David) Chan, and Ms. (Lori) Carr have all been advertising in those publications.”
She said Weedmark “has a duty under the Act to disclose any government contracts he's in… The Commissioner has been very clear. Just because you get an exemption under the Act, you still have to disclose it in your public disclosure form.”
Weedmark response
In his statement, Weedmark said that shortly after he was elected, he sought “direction from the Conflict-of-Interest Commissioner and the Speaker regarding the newspapers in which I have a financial interest and whether those newspapers can publish advertising from other MLAs in the readership area.”
“The Commissioner concluded the matter was not within his purview and advised that I contact the Speaker’s office, which advised me it would be allowable under certain conditions, which I have followed.”
He also provided media with a letter from the legislative law clerk on behalf of the Speaker outlining details. According to those conditions, Weedmark is required to do the following:
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He will not discuss advertising or printing with any MLA with respect to the World-Spectator and its subsidiaries;
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He will recuse himself from any discussions regarding MLA advertising or printing respecting the World-Spectator and its subsidiaries;
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He shall be permitted to print and advertise for constituency office purposes in the World-Spectator and its subsidiaries, but shall not be entitled to claim reimbursement for his own printing and advertising;
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He shall, by March 31 of each year, provide to the Conflict of Interest Commissioner and Speaker’s Office an annual disclosure statement of all MLA printing and advertising that takes place with the World-Spectator and its subsidiaries;
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The permissions on printing and advertising extend only to MLAs situated in the communities that form the usual audience or readership of the World-Spectator, specifically Melville-Saltcoats and Cannington. Weedmark is also required not to charge more than the newspaper’s standard rates for any printing or advertising done for the identified MLAs.
Weedmark also addressed NDP allegations about two chartered flights that he said he paid for personally, but which have come under major scrutiny from the opposition. One was an Aug. 27, 2026, flight that included stops in Lloydminster and Saskatoon, and the other was an Aug. 21, 2025, flight to Saskatoon.
Weedmark said he requested an opinion from the Conflict of Interest Commissioner regarding those flights. “The Commissioner concluded there was no conflict of interest in this matter,” he stated.
Weedmark also shared the letter with media. According to the letter, dated Sept. 18, from commissioner Maurice Herauf, Weedmark had submitted a receipt for an Aug. 21, 2025, trip to take the owners of the Moosomin Dairy Queen, their infant son and the mother of one of the owners to Saskatoon to tour the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital after the Moosomin Dairy Queen had raised $42,000 for the hospital. Weedmark provided the commissioner’s office with a receipt for $8,271.55, which was paid Aug. 21, 2025, out of his own funds. The correspondence noted it was a completely private trip and was not undertaken for any government business.
The second trip was Aug. 27, 2026, with the Lloydminster portion related to government business in Weedmark’s role as legislative secretary to the minister of Health, with Weedmark attending the grand opening of four treatment beds for Oxford House. He also attended the 40th anniversary celebration of Bethany Manor in Saskatoon in a less formal role. The invoice for the flight was $20,106.43 and was paid for by Weedmark by pre-authorized debit.
The commissioner ruled that there was no violation of section 3 of the Act, which prohibits participating in a decision where there is an opportunity to further a member's or their family's private interest. As Weedmark paid for the flights out of his own funds, “there would not be any opportunity to gain a financial interest,” the commissioner stated.
Response from Conway
In a news release following the release of Weedmark’s statement, Conway said that “Weedmark’s response is misleading if he is suggesting that these disclosures resolve the serious concerns raised in my letter. They do not.”
“Perhaps most troubling, it is now clear from Weedmark’s own disclosure today that he has violated the conditions imposed by the Speaker when granting him an exemption from the rules prohibiting advertising in his newspaper…
“These conditions make clear that he was only allowed to advertise with the MLAs for Melville-Saltcoats and Cannington. Perhaps Mr. Weedmark can explain why he then also permitted MLAs for Estevan-Big Muddy, Yorkton, Weyburn-Bengough, and Last Mountain-Touchwood to advertise in his paper using public funds.”
Conway also said the exemption “also does not extend to government advertising, which Mr. Weedmark does feature in his paper, despite not disclosing it in his conflict-of-interest disclosure.”
“The Commissioner clearly states that his opinion was based only on information provided by Weedmark. My request presents additional evidence concerning Weedmark’s newspaper staff aboard the flight, aircraft pricing, and his relationship with the charter company. This raises concerns under a provision of the Act that was not even engaged by the facts as presented to the Commissioner by Weedmark.”
Conway said that Weedmark’s letter from the commissioner “makes absolutely no mention of the fact that he was accompanied by a member of his newspaper staff, who herself characterized the trips as being for ‘work.’ This is a flimsy attempt to deflect from and defend the conduct of their out-of-touch, jet-setting MLA, who both thinks that the rules don’t apply to him and appears to be putting his personal interests ahead of his duties as a public servant.”
In response to Conway’s latest statement Weedmark issued a statement where he provided two other letters received from the Speaker’s Office and the Conflict of Interest Commissioner. One letter from the Speaker provided an exemption for additional MLAs within the readership area to advertise in the World-Spectator, while Weedmark said the other from the Conflict of Interest Commissioner provides direction on allowable government advertising in The World Spectator.
“I have followed all of the conditions and direction provided in the various letters from both the Speaker and the Conflict-of-Interest Commissioner.”
