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Cronyism crept into Bull Arm contract: Liberals

'Too cute by half,' Parsons says of contract

Last Updated: Thursday, November 30, 2006 | 9:07 AM NT

CBC News

Opposition Liberals in Newfoundland and Labrador allege a Crown agency abused the public tendering process by giving a contract to a campaign worker associated with its chief executive officer.

Opposition house leader Kelvin Parsons questioned why a company associated with a campaign worker for Joan Cleary — who was defeated as a Progressive Conservative candidate in Bellevue district in 2003 — won a contract from Bull Arm Site Corp.

Kelvin Parsons says a contract awarded by the Bull Arm Site Corp. is process.
(CBC)

Cleary is now president and chief executive office of Bull Arm Site Corp.

A contract worth about $25,000 for repairs to a security building went to a company headed by Calvin Lockyer, who ran Cleary's 2003 campaign.

Parsons raised the issue Wednesday in the house of assembly.

Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale said the contract was above board.

Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale said the process was above board.
(CBC)

"A limited bid was put out. [Cleary] absented herself from that bidding process," said Dunderdale.

Weeks before the contract was awarded, a similar tender to build a new security building was cancelled. The government said all the bids were too high, so the tender was changed and reissued.

However, the lowest bid on the original tender came from a Liberal who worked against Cleary in the 2003 election.

"They decided, I believe, all too conveniently that [they] were going to do this. They put it out then under just a labour component," Parsons said.

"That's just too cute by half."

Dunderdale said the second tender was forced by a severe windstorm, which severely damaged the security shed in September.

Dunderdale said Cleary "absented herself" for the tender decision not because "her campaign manager might become involved, but the lowest bidder of the original tender was invited to bid, and because she knew that bidder had an involvement" with Bellevue MHA Percy Barrett, a Liberal.

The Liberals criticized Cleary's 2005 appointment as patronage, and claim the post was given to Cleary in advance of the 2007 election campaign.

Barrett defeated Cleary by 100 votes.

This story is now closed to commenting.

Internal Links

Cleary ideal choice for Bull Arm: premier
Defeated Tory to head Bull Arm corporation

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