Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/12/2014 (2110 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Questions are being raised over a decision by former Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz during the final days of his term to underwrite an aboriginal intern reporter at the Winnipeg Sun using taxpayer dollars.

Katz confirmed he agreed to provide $66,000 from his office account to the Winnipeg Sun so it could hire a reporter on a term contract for up to two years.

"The money came out of my (office) budget," Katz said Thursday. "This initiative is no different than what I've done for 10 years putting in whatever limited resources we have in training, employment," to assist the city's aboriginal community.

A city spokeswoman confirmed the Sun was paid $66,000 on Oct. 24, two days after the civic election – a period when Katz was still technically mayor but 12 days before the new council was sworn in.

There is no record of Katz's contribution to the Sun in the mayor's office expenses, located on the city's website.

A city spokeswoman confirmed the funds had been paid to the Winnipeg Sun from a portion of the city's commitment reserve account, allocated to the mayor's office, but where there is no public disclosure.

Katz said the funding is consistent with his personal belief aboriginal people can become Winnipeg's greatest asset if given appropriate assistance and opportunities to succeed.

New mayor unaware of arrangement

Colin Craig, Prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), said Katz should not have given the funds to the Winnipeg Sun.

Craig said while there is a need for government assistance for job training in certain circumstances, it's not city hall's responsibility and the CTF doesn't believe any level of government should be giving funds directly to business.

Craig said he's also concerned city hall is paying for a reporter's salary.

"Government does give money to business but not usually to media," Craig, who writes a regular column for the Winnipeg Sun, said. "Governments shouldn't be providing money to any organization that potentially has to criticize it."

New mayor Brian Bowman, who succeeded Katz as secretary of the civic urban aboriginal opportunities office, said he was not aware of the arrangement and would not have done that himself.

"I won't be spending money from my budget to do something like that," Bowman said Thursday, adding he's committed to ensuring public access to all expenses from his office during Katz's final term and going forward.

Red River College to screen applicants

Katz said he didn't offer the funding to any other local media outlet, adding the idea originated during an event where he was talking with senior management at the Winnipeg Sun.

"They threw it out there and I discussed with them," Katz said. "It's like someone talks to you about an idea and you go with the idea. I could have easily done it with anybody else if someone else had the conversation."

Details were ironed out throughout the year, Katz said, adding Red River College has agreed to screen appropriate applicants and recommend the hire to the Sun. Katz said he believed the Sun would make up any shortfall if the $66,000 didn't cover all costs associated with the intern.

Katz said he hoped the experience would eventually lead to the newspaper -- the target of a local boycott campaign by provincial aboriginal leaders -- to hire an aboriginal person full-time.

"God willing, that will continue for the next 102 years. That's the whole idea about it."

Intern to start early in 2015: Sun

City hall spends $1 million annually on a variety of aboriginal training, recreational and educational programs. Katz said the arrangement with the Sun is consistent with the city policies.

Winnipeg Sun editor-in-chief Mark Hamm said terms of the arrangements had not been finalized and refused to discuss it.

Union official John Webster said he was informed about the Sun's arrangement with city hall on Wednesday.

Webster, staff rep for Unifor Local 191, which also represents unionized workers at the Winnipeg Free Press, said senior management had told him Katz had provided enough funds to hire an aboriginal intern on an 18-month contract, paid according to the starting wage in the collective agreement ($32,000), plus the newspaper's contributions to the Canada Pension Plan and employment insurance premiums.

Even if funding dries up after 18 months, a young aboriginal journalist will have earned real-world experience, Webster said.

He said the Sun plans to post the job very soon and hopes to have a journalist in place early in the new year.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

With files from Mary Agnes Welch