No criminal wrongdoing found at colleges

There will be no criminal charges laid following a review by the Saskatchewan Justice Ministry of the failed merger of Carlton Trail and St. Peter's colleges.

Advanced Education Minister Rob Norris said Tuesday the opinion that there was no criminal wrongdoing is based on a report of the finances at the two post-secondary institutions.

Concerns were raised after an accountant found serious governance and financial problems. Those are still being addressed, Norris said.

"One of the things I've done is made sure that St. Peter's is on probation. The University of Saskatchewan has stepped in to provide oversight," Norris said.

Norris also said he has sent a letter to the Canada Revenue Agency asking it to review any improper income tax reporting at the colleges.

The NDP Opposition's Cam Broten says there are still many unanswered questions, including what's in any unreleased reports.

"Another question is how much is this actually going to cost taxpayers at the end of the day," he said.

The government has already spent more than $400,0000 on accounting firms to review the failed merger.