Gary Grewal Explained

Gary Grewal
Party:Saskatchewan Party
Residence:Regina, Saskatchewan
Successor:Jacqueline Roy
Predecessor:Yens Pedersen
Term Start:October 26, 2020
Term End:October 1, 2024
Assembly:Saskatchewan Legislative
Constituency Am:Regina Northeast
Occupation:Business owner

Gary Grewal is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in the 2020 Saskatchewan general election. He represented the district of Regina Northeast as a member of the Saskatchewan Party for one term. Grewal was the first Indo-Canadian elected to the Legislature.

Before politics

Grewal immigrated to Canada from India in 1983. He served as president of the India Canada Association of Saskatchewan as well as the Sikh Society, and as director of the Canadian Cricket Association.[1] He is married and has three children.

Political career

Grewal's first bid for office came in a 2018 by-election in Regina Northeast following the resignation of Kevin Doherty; Grewal finished second in the by-election to Yens Pedersen of the New Democratic Party (NDP).[2] [3] In the general election two years later, Grewal won Regina Northeast in a re-match against Pedersen.[4] The win made Grewal the first Indo-Canadian elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature.[5]

In July 2023, a Regina man was charged with extortion for threatening Grewal after Grewal declined to help him in a local campaign.[6]

In November 2023, the Opposition NDP raised concerns in the legislature about contracts between the Ministry of Social Services and the Sunrise Motel in Regina, a business owned by Grewal. It was alleged that prices were increased for social services clients.[7] By February 2024, the NDP revealed evidence that the Sunrise and the Thriftlodge Hotel—another business in which Grewal held a stake—had received close to $400,000 from social services clients in the previous fiscal year.[8]

Later in February 2024, Grewal announced that he would not be running in the 2024 Saskatchewan general election.[9]

In May 2024, the NDP made a formal request for a conflict of interest investigation in regards to Grewal's businesses.[10] Five months later, the conflict of interest commissioner released their ruling that Grewal had breached conflict of interest rules in relation to the government contracts.[11] The Sunrise—at which Grewal's wife was employed as a bookkeeper—and Thriftlodge businesses were found to have received $731,000 from the Ministry of Social Services after Grewal's 2020 election.[12] The commissioner ruled that Grewal had failed to disclose interests in the businesses when elected, and that he failed to call in a loan to the Thriftlodge by a specified deadline. Grewal released a statement disagreeing with the findings, stating that he did not see the arrangements as government contracts, and alleging that he was not informed of the need to call in the Thriftlodge loan.[13] The Saskatchewan Party released a statement saying it accepted the findings of the investigation.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Giles . David . 2020-09-29 . Saskatchewan election: Regina Northeast . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201030200255/https://globalnews.ca/news/6661654/saskatchewan-election-regina-northeast/ . 2020-10-30 . 2020-10-27 . . en-US.
  2. Web site: Mandryk . Murray . 2018-09-11 . Sask. Party Northeast byelection efforts are a bit puzzling . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180911151246/https://leaderpost.com/opinion/columnists/sask-party-northeast-byelection-efforts-are-a-bit-puzzling . 2018-09-11 . 2020-10-30 . . en-CA.
  3. News: Fraser . D. C. . 2018-09-12 . Yens Pedersen wins Regina Northeast byelection for NDP . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180913110349/https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/ndp-wins-regina-northeast-byelection . 2018-09-13 . 2024-11-13 . Regina Leader-Post.
  4. Web site: Solomon . Michaela . 2020-10-26 . Sask. election night results from Regina's 12 constituencies . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201101065738/https://regina.ctvnews.ca/sask-election-night-results-from-regina-s-12-constituencies-1.5162281 . 2020-11-01 . 2020-10-30 . CTV News Regina . en.
  5. News: Salloum . Alec . 2024-02-23 . Sask. Party MLA Gary Grewal will not seek reelection in 2024 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240304132452/https://leaderpost.com/news/politics/sask-party-mla-gary-grewal-will-not-seek-reelection-in-2024 . 2024-03-04 . 2024-11-13 . Regina Leader-Post.
  6. News: Kruger . Brooke . 2023-07-14 . Man charged in alleged extortion case against Sask. MLA Gary Grewal . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715112213/https://globalnews.ca/news/9833736/man-charged-exotortion-gary-grewal/ . 2023-07-15 . 2024-11-13 . Global News.
  7. News: Hunter . Adam . 2023-11-15 . Motel owned by Sask. Party MLA in spotlight after rates rise for evicted senior . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231116100735/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-ndp-motel-room-social-services-1.7029129 . 2023-11-16 . 2024-11-13 . CBC News.
  8. News: Quon . Alexander . 2024-02-13 . Sask. Party MLA's motels got $384K from social services for client hotel rooms last fiscal year . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240214015214/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/gary-grewal-hotel-social-services-1.7113663 . 2024-02-14 . 2024-11-13 . CBC News.
  9. Web site: 2024-02-23 . Regina Northeast MLA Gary Grewal not seeking re-election . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240519033808/https://www.ckom.com/2024/02/23/regina-northeast-mla-gary-grewal-not-seeking-re-election/ . 2024-05-19 . 2024-02-23 . CKOM.
  10. News: Salloum . Alec . Kurz . Larissa . 2024-05-16 . NDP calls on conflict of interest commissioner to investigate two Sask. Party MLAs . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240516194247/https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/ndp-calls-on-conflict-of-interest-commissioner-to-investigate-two-sask-party-mlas . 2024-05-16 . 2024-11-13 . Regina Leader-Post.
  11. News: Hunter . Adam . 2024-10-22 . Conflict commissioner finds former Sask. Party MLA broke rules as motel owner . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241113203155/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-conflict-commissioner-1.7359541 . 2024-11-13 . 2024-11-13 . CBC News.
  12. News: Salloum . Alec . 2024-10-22 . Former Sask. Party MLA Gary Grewal breached conflict of interest act: report . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241113203729/https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/former-sask-party-mla-gary-grewal-breached-conflict-of-interest-act-report . 2024-11-13 . 2024-11-13 . Regina Leader-Post.
  13. News: Cairns . John . 2024-10-23 . Grewal responds to conflict of interest ruling . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241113205350/https://www.sasktoday.ca/elections/saskvotes2024/grewal-responds-to-conflict-of-interest-ruling-9699774 . 2024-11-13 . 2024-11-13 . Sask Today.

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