N.L. premier's trip to billionaire's fishing lodge did not break rules: commissioner
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A trip by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey to the lodge of a billionaire with significant energy interests in the province did not break ethics rules.
A fishing trip by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey to the lodge of a billionaire with significant energy interests in the province did not break ethics rules, the Office of the Commissioner for Legislative Standards said Tuesday.
Ruling out a formal inquiry on the matter, commissioner Ann Chafe said in her report that there was no evidence the trip furthered the private interests of Furey or his family, "or that he played a role in furthering the private interests of a third party."
Progressive Conservative member Barry Petten filed the complaint against Furey, suggesting the premier violated the House of Assembly's code of conduct by taking a vacation in 2021 to the property of John Risley, chair of a company looking to develop the province's hydrogen energy sector, and the premier's personal friend.
Risley, the billionaire co-founder of Clearwater Seafoods, is also a director with World Energy GH2, which has proposed a wind-powered hydrogen and ammonia operation in western Newfoundland.
Chafe's report says Furey's trip to Risley's Rifflin' Hitch Lodge, in Labrador, was as a gift from the premier's wife, and not paid for by anyone associated with wind energy development.
Petten appeared to be concerned with the optics of the premier vacationing at a resort owned by a person doing business with the government, but "apparent" conflicts of interest aren't covered by laws or the House's code of conduct, the report says.
"Mere subjective speculation is not enough to justify a formal inquiry into a matter which, upon an objective assessment of the evidence, fails to demonstrate any wrongdoing," it says.
