Former Speaker, minister at odds over Sask. MLA office lease

The advanced education minister and the clerk of the Legislative Assembly are disputing how the former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly handled a constituency office lease he says violated legislative rules.

Ken Cheveldayoff has come under scrutiny this week after a recent CBC report alleged he violated legislative rules by leasing part of his taxpayer-funded constituency office to a law firm owned by a Saskatchewan Party donor between 2017 and 2024.

In 2016, the Board of Internal Economy added a rule prohibiting the subletting or renting out of constituency offices.

In a statement, former Speaker Randy Weekes said he did not approve Cheveldayoff’s lease agreement and disputed the advanced education minister’s claim that it was permitted by three successive Speakers.

Instead, Weekes said he tried to address the “violation of the rules.”

The clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Iris Lang, said in a statement Wednesday that all former Speakers were aware of Cheveldayoff’s lease arrangement.

“It is the Speaker who gives the final decision and instruction with respect to any matter related to the directives. No such instruction to alter Mr. Cheveldayoff’s lease arrangement was received until 2024,” the statement said.

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Cheveldayoff also issued a statement denying Weekes’ claims.

“The Clerk of the Legislative Assembly has now confirmed the fact that successive Speakers, including Randy Weekes, were aware of and allowed the split lease arrangement for my constituency office,” the statement said.

Cheveldayoff has described the agreement as a “split lease,” with rent and utility costs shared equally. He said he believed the arrangement saved taxpayers money.

Public records show Elke Churchman, who owned the law office sharing the space, donated a total of $2,150 to the Saskatchewan Party between 2020 and 2022.

According to the Churchman & Co. law office website, the practice ceased operations in November 2024 following the death of Churchman in June 2024.

The NDP is now calling for an investigation into the matter.

“Whether or not Cheveldayoff personally profited from this, the fact that a donor is subletting a constituency taxpayer funded office, I think is wrong. I think Saskatchewan people would think that that’s wrong,” said ethics and democracy critic Jordan McPhail.

Weekes said he supports a conflict-of-interest investigation and would be prepared to testify.