I often do “FOI Buffets” – or rather, a big blog post with all kinds of government documents I’ve obtained on various subjects. Here are a few I’ve gathered over the past while in Manitoba that some people might find of interest…

1) Selby Off The Cuff – Earlier this year, former Health Minister Erin Selby suggested the opposition Tories “allowed” a dozen babies to die at the Health Sciences Centre back in the early 90s. Rightly so, her smear attempt backfired as media and others called her out for inappropriate mudslinging. Twelve babies did die at the hospital, and it was tragic, but the incidents had nothing to do with political decisions by the former government.

Erin Selby's decision to reopen old wounds in an attempt to throw mud at an opponent was an example of politics of its worst.

When the news unfolded, I was curious if Erin Selby went off the cuff when she said those remarks or if her comments were from prepared statements…here’s what the government indicated – click here.

2) CFS Board Pay – Ever wonder how much people get paid to sit on Child and Family Services boards? Here are the numbers – click here.

3) Sick Leave – Can you guess which provincial government department is home to employees that call in sick the most? To find the answer – click here.

4) Bipole Blunder – When the West side Bipole III power line was proposed back in 2007, the government said it would cost $2.2 billion. The estimate is now up to $4.6 billion; that's a whopping $2.4 billion over budget.  

When the latest news broke, I wondered if anyone was held accountable for the blunder at Hydro? After all, most readers couldn't make a billion dollar mistake and get away with it. To see how Manitoba Hydro handled the problem – click here.

5) City Blunders – City Hall has received three scathing audit reports over the past year. All three have received a ton of media coverage and it’s now well known the administration committed several significant "blunders" (at best). But the question is – who was held accountable? Click here to see what the city said.

6) Hydro’s RCMP Referral –During a committee discussion at the Manitoba Legislature on Manitoba Hydro this past summer, the crown corporation suggested they may have referred a matter to the RCMP during the past few years. While the details weren’t clear, Hydro did respond to our FOI on the matter – click here to see the answer.

7) Sagkeeng Secret –I met with a couple concerned band members from the Sagkeeng First Nation earlier this year. They were concerned about the lack of transparency in terms of how Hydro dollars were being spent in their community. I filed an FOI to find out how much has flowed to their reserve from Hydro over the past few years and here’s what I found out – click here.

8) Firefighters’ Union Boss Pay – During the recent municipal election Mayoral candidate Paula Havixbeck suggested some union bosses were getting paid by taxpayers to campaign. A Metro News article seemed to suggest the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg (UFFW) has always paid the city back when their employees have been away on union business during the workday –

“In a press release, the UFFW clarified that the union reimburses the city for a replacement firefighter for those times when Forrest is away doing union work, a common practice in the public and private sectors when it comes to unionized environments.

This reimbursement occurs annually and is in the collective agreement, said union officials.”

But that simply isn’t the case. The practice mentioned above has only been in the UFFW’s agreement since February of 2014. This FOI shows there were no reimbursements between 2009-2013 – click here.

Thus, it makes one wonder how much UFFW union business Winnipeg taxpayers have paid for in the past? It also led me to reflect on UFFW President's social media posts in which he has talked about working in other cities to help their unions negotiate for more money.