CIC reports more than $100K in losses for third quarter

Due to some employee malfeasance, the Crown Investments Corporation reported more than $100,000 in losses among Saskatchewan’s Crown corporations during the third quarter of the 2020-21 fiscal year.

In a media release Monday, the CIC said SaskPower lost $53,730 after two employees stole gas and manipulated their time sheets from January of 2019 to this past November.

“No initial recoveries were made based on the duration of the occurrences and approvals made by management,” the CIC said in its release. “One employee involved resigned and the other employee was terminated.”

In a second incident, SaskTel lost $46,754.83 after an employee received full wage loss benefits for a Workers’ Compensation Board claim even though they were working part-time with another employer.

“Employees approved for WCB continue to be paid by SaskTel and WCB reimburses SaskTel,” the CIC release explained. “WCB has realized this overpayment and has now withheld payments to SaskTel.”

The employee resigned from SaskTel when they were told the company would be collecting the money it was owed through payroll deductions. According to the CIC, a lawsuit is in the works.

The third incident occurred this past December, when SaskPower management noticed an employee had five fraudulent charges on their time sheet. The total loss was $1,587.

Management disciplined the employee by reducing their payable hours to recoup the $1,587.

Finally, between June 8 and Nov. 15 of last year, a SaskPower employee made $1,229 worth of improper purchases using a SaskPower procurement card.

The employee was fired and repaid the $1,229.