Saskatchewan NDP accuses gov’t of working to sell its share in ISC

The logo for the Information Services Corporation. (Source: https://www.isc.ca/)

The Official Opposition is raising concerns about the fate of Saskatchewan’s Information Services Corporation (ISC).

On Monday, the Saskatchewan NDP expressed fears about upcoming legislation from the Government of Saskatchewan related to the information management company, accusing the province of laying the groundwork to sell its stake in the former Crown corporation.

Established in 2000 as the Saskatchewan Land Information Services Corporation, the organization was given the role of administrating the province’s land registry and land survey. After numerous expansions, ISC transitioned to a publicly-traded company in 2013. The province owns around 30 per cent of ISC’s stock.

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The government gave notice of the Information Services Corporation Amendment Act, which is set to be introduced Tuesday.

“We’ve known that this legislation is coming and we’ve known that this has been in the works for months,” NDP MLA Aleana Young said during question period.

“Stakeholders weren’t consulted because the premier knows full well that the sale of ISC will not be popular for people involved in land sales or real estate.”

Young asked the Sask. Party if there were any bidders that either requested changes to legislation or made offers contingent on changes to legislation.

Crown Investments Minister Jeremy Harrison said a strategic review of ISC is underway at the behest of its board, but no recommendations have been made.

“The government has been supportive of the strategic review being undertaken with the provisions that the golden share and the best interests of the Saskatchewan public are top of mind,” Harrison rebutted.

He added that the cornerstones of the review include potentially growing ISC, keeping its head office in Saskatchewan, protecting local jobs and ensuring land titles fees remain affordable.

Young said a Quebec-based private company has emerged as a potential purchaser of ISC, and questioned the timing of the province’s legislation changes, as they come in the middle of the ISC’s review process.

“That government made commitments to the people of Saskatchewan in 2012 to protect ISC from full privatization and, by extension, protect the public interest,” Young said.

“The province was to maintain control of any corporate restructuring, supposed to ensure that the company’s head office would remain in Saskatchewan and that a cap of [a] 15 per cent ownership stake exists,” Young said. She went on to ask the minister if these promises would be kept going forward.

Harrison said the review was supported by the government with the understanding that these promises would continue to be honoured.

Speaking to reporters, NDP MLA Nicole Sarauer also questioned the timing of the legislation.

“We do know that the ISC right now is going through a strategic review. We also know that you don’t introduce legislation to keep something the same, so it leaves a lot of questions as to what government is doing,” she said.

“Why are we tabling amendments and making changes to the legislation right in the middle of the strategic review?”

Sarauer went on to say her party is concerned about the long-term costs privatization could have on Saskatchewan residents, as well as the protection of data.