ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A fishing trip by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey to the lodge of a billionaire with significant energy interests in the province did not break ethics rules, the Office of the Commissioner for Legislative Standards said Tuesday.
Ruling out a formal inquiry on the matter, commissioner Ann Chafe said in her report that there was no evidence the trip furthered the private interests of Furey or his family, “or that he played a role in furthering the private interests of a third party.”
Progressive Conservative member Barry Petten filed the complaint against Furey, suggesting the premier violated the House of Assembly's code of conduct by taking a vacation in 2021 to the property of John Risley, chair of a company looking to develop the province's hydrogen energy sector, and the premier's personal friend.
Risley, the billionaire co-founder of Clearwater Seafoods, is also a director with World Energy GH2, which has proposed a wind-powered hydrogen and ammonia operation in western Newfoundland.
Chafe's report says Furey's trip to Risley's Rifflin' Hitch Lodge, in Labrador, was as a gift from the premier's wife, and not paid for by anyone associated with wind energy development.
Petten appeared to be concerned with the optics of the premier vacationing at a resort owned by a person doing business with the government, but "apparent" conflicts of interest aren't covered by laws or the House's code of conduct, the report says.
"Mere subjective speculation is not enough to justify a formal inquiry into a matter which, upon an objective assessment of the evidence, fails to demonstrate any wrongdoing," it says.
Chafe lays out a brief timeline of wind energy development in Newfoundland and Labrador, noting the province imposed a moratorium on commercial wind development in 2006. But by June 2021, Andrew Parsons, the province’s energy minister, said there was a “bright future” for renewable energy sources such as wind and hydrogen. A month later, Furey vacationed at Risley's lodge.
The government lifted the moratorium on wind energy in spring 2022.
Chafe says the wind power moratorium was imposed when the province was focused on the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project, though she says wind power was identified in the province’s energy plans dating back to 2007.
Furey has maintained he was not in a conflict of interest by vacationing on Risley's property. The premier has told reporters he visited the lodge to fish for salmon with his father, Senate Speaker George Furey. The premier has said that although Risley was at the lodge at the same time, they did not discuss his business interests nor other government affairs.
Meanwhile, the report says the premier has established "conflict screens" to safeguard against a conflict of interest regarding wind energy development.
"When an issue arises that may place Premier Furey in a conflict of interest, he recuses himself from the meeting, and this recusal is recorded," the report says. "This conduct is not only ethical but should be encouraged by all members when attempting to address potential conflicts."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2023.
The Canadian Press
