This story has been edited to correct facts that were originally incorrect. We regret the confusion.
Mayor Clive Tolley has confirmed the identity of one of his mayoral campaign backers who contributed money using a numbered company but couldn’t recall who the other numbered companies were.
During the March 28 regular council meeting, city administration provided a report about the expenses of the nine candidates who ran during the 2021 mayoral byelection campaign. The report had been released on the city’s website a couple of weeks earlier, giving media and residents a sneak peek at what the candidates spent.
Council voted unanimously to receive and file the report.
Mayoral candidates were required to file their statements within four months of the Nov. 3, 2021 election, and as of March 3, all nine mayoral candidates had submitted disclosure statements, a council report said. Based on the statements, none of the candidates exceeded the spending limit of $25,248.75, while they spent a combined $47,868.14.
Tolley spent $16,008 during the mayoral byelection, documents show. There were five noteworthy campaign contributors, either because of who they are or because they are nameless numbered companies.
One included Richmond, British Columbia-based Carpere Canada, which donated $1,000 to Tolley’s campaign. Carpere owns the Grant Hotel and has pursued several business deals with the City of Moose Jaw over the past few years. The most recent is the Valley View Centre housing development.
The numbered companies included 101074647 Saskatchewan Ltd., which contributed $1,000, 101153015 Saskatchewan Ltd., which contributed $5,000, and 101105637 Saskatchewan Ltd., which gave $500.
There was also what appears to be an Alberta-based company, 593818 AB, which gave $200.
Previous investigative work by the Moose Jaw Express found that 101153015 Saskatchewan Ltd. is JGL Cattle and Livestock, owned by CEO W. Shea Jameson.
Meanwhile, further searching reveals that 101074647 Saskatchewan Ltd. has an address of Suite 500 128-4th Avenue South in Saskatoon. This address leads to Grasswood Auctions, co-owned by Brad Jameson and Greg Kuse.
Another investigation reveals that 101105637 Saskatchewan Ltd. is McDougall Gauley LLP at 1500-1881 Scarth Street in Regina. The main officer/director of the company is James Murdock of Moose Jaw.
During a media scrum after the council meeting, reporters asked Tolley what he thought of city hall releasing the campaign donation statements and whether they contributed to transparency.
The mayor acknowledged that the documents contribute to transparency and openness.
“I think our system goes way, way back, and it’s tradition. You tell people how much you got from contributions and who contributed,” he said. “So, I don’t think anything needs to be hidden there. No, I’m fine with that.”
Robert Thomas with the MJ Independent then asked the mayor to reveal who the three numbered Saskatchewan companies are.
“I listed numbered companies because that’s what they gave me for information on their cheque. But I don’t know if I can actually tell you,” Tolley chuckled, before pointing to the work the Moose Jaw Express had performed to reveal that JGL Cattle and Livestock gave $5,000.
“So, I don’t want to say because I’m not certain which companies you’re referring to,” Tolley added.
“So you’re telling me you can’t give out the name of the person who gave you the cheque?” replied Thomas. “You don’t know, or you don’t want to tell us?”
“No, no, I know that one. That one came from Mr. Shae Jameson and his company,” said Tolley. “I don’t know who all the shareholders are in that company, but that’s where that cheque came from.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, April 11.
