The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Flin Flon MLA Clarence Pettersen has steered clear of the so-called ticketgate controversy enveloping the provincial government. Media reports show that this past hockey season, 13 NDP MLAs accepted free tickets to Winnipeg Jets games from Crown corporations that received them through advertising deals. A list published by the Winnipeg Free Press shows Pettersen was not among the recipients. Neither was The Pas MLA Frank Whitehead. However, the two other northern MLAs _ Steve Ashton (Thompson) and Eric Robinson (Kewatinook) _ found themselves cheering on the Jets at the MTS Centre. Ashton accepted two tickets Ashton, who is the transportation minister, accepted one ticket from the Manitoba Home Builders' Association and one ticket from the Manitoba Lotteries Commission. Robinson, the deputy premier and minister of aboriginal and northern affairs, also accepted two tickets, both from Northwest Company. Both men and other cabinet ministers who accepted tickets have since reimbursed the appropriate Crown corporations, Finance Minister Stan Struthers told CBC. The uproar over ticketgate stems in part from the fact that the tickets were obtained by the Crown corporations before fans had a chance to buy them. And Jets tickets are not easy for the average fan to obtain. The opposition Progressive Conservatives have made hay of the issue, saying it's inappropriate for MLAs to get free tickets while taxes rise. Premier Greg Selinger said cabinet ministers are no longer allowed to accept free tickets from Crown corporations, businesses and unions, according to CTV.
