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Opposition calls for the release of Bull Arm documentation December 21, 2006 Kelvin Parsons, Opposition Natural Resources Critic and MHA for the District of Burgeo-Lapoile, says he has filed an Access to Information request today with officials in the Department of Natural Resources as a result of Minister Kathy Dunderdale’s refusal to release information regarding the awarding of contracts at the Bull Arm Site Corporation. In the fall sitting of the House of Assembly, Parsons asked for documentation related to contracts awarded at the Bull Arm site to be released publicly. Minister Dunderdale committed to provide this information, however, it has not been forthcoming. The information requested includes contracts that were awarded at the site, the names of the successful bidders, tender documents used to award these contracts, and copies of the bids. "With all of the problems that were exposed at the Bull Arm site this fall, the public must see these documents to determine just how deep the rot is at the Bull Arm Site Corporation," said Mr. Parsons. "As a result of our questioning earlier this month, we discovered breaches of the Public Tendering Act at the site on more than one occasion. In some of these instances, the public tendering process was ignored to give illegal contracts to political friends of the former CEO, Joan Cleary. "If there is nothing to hide in these documents, I suggest the minister release them publicly as soon as possible. The minister has admitted that some of the contracts that were awarded were verbal in nature. I hope government has a listing of these contracts as well, including how many were awarded, the amounts that were paid, and the individuals who received these contracts. "The minister may have hoped that the premature closure of the House of Assembly would allow this issue to die, but I can give the minister my guarantee that the Opposition will not be letting this issue fade away until we have all the information on what exactly is happening at this corporation. It is not acceptable to hand-pick political cronies to serve on the board, and then try to cover-up their inappropriate activities. The minister has a duty to provide this information and she will be held accountable for any other questionable actions that have taken place at the site over the past couple of years."
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