Provincial auditor says review of $21M land deal a priority

Saskatchewan's provincial auditor says reviewing a $21-million land deal is a priority, but it's not necessarily going to be finished by the April 4 election.

• LIVE BLOG: Public accounts committee at Saskatchewan legislature

Auditor Judy Ferguson was addressing the public accounts committeeat the legislature on Wednesday.

A meeting was called by NDP members in response to recent CBC reports about land deals involving a Crown corporation, the Global Transportation Hub.

On Monday afternoon, Premier Brad Wallput in a formal request tohave the auditorreview the GTH's2014 purchase of 204 acres of land needed for a highway bypass project just west of Regina.

On Wednesday, NDP and Saskatchewan Party members of the public works committee wrangled over the wording of a motion about the review.

The NDP wantedthe review to include looking atcabinet ministers in relation to the GTH land transactions. However, the Sask. Party-dominated committee voted down that request.

The NDP wanted to know if the auditor would be able to release the report before the April election, or release an interim report if the full report wasn't yet ready. Ferguson said auditor's reports are all or nothing, and that she wasn't sure it the report could be finished before the election.

"Our office is treating this as a priority area so we're actively working on it," Ferguson said.

Ferguson's office is seeking legal advice as to whether it could release the report during the election campaign.