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Saskatchewan changes how it procures hotels for those on social assistance

Click to play video: 'Social services minister announces pilot project to control hotel spending'
Social services minister announces pilot project to control hotel spending
Saskatchewan Social Services Minister Gene Makowksy announced on Friday that the ministry must send out an RFP and gather a selection of at least three quotes from vendors in order to control spending on hotel costs – Feb 9, 2024

The Saskatchewan government says it’s changing how it procures hotels for those on social assistance after a motel owned by a legislature member raised rates when the province paid.

The Saskatchewan Party government says in a letter that the province must now formally obtain quotes from three hotels before securing a room for a person or family.

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The province is also planning a one-year pilot project to publicly procure blocks of rooms in Regina and Saskatoon at a confirmed rate.

Last year, Saskatchewan’s Opposition NDP raised questions when a motel owned by Gary Grewal charged a higher nightly rate for a woman who checked in when the province paid her bill.

Grewal has disclosed to the conflict of interest commissioner he owns the motel and says he does not manage the day-to-day operations.

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