WINNIPEG — A Manitoba cabinet minister is being accused of hiding the fact he has a contract with the provincial government.

Ian Bushie, the minister for municipal and northern relations, owns a grocery store on the east side of Lake Winnipeg that was given a contract this spring worth up to $100,000.

It was awarded directly without allowing other suppliers to bid on the contract.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives have filed a complaint with the ethics commissioner that alleges Bushie did not disclose the contract on his disclosure statement, as required by law.

Bushie says the recently renewed contract was first signed several years ago, to provide groceries for wildfire crews and others, and says the actual amount spent each year is “very minimal.”

Bushie says he will talk to the ethics commissioner about the issue, including whether the contract is something he is required to disclose.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2024

The Canadian Press