REGINA - Today, Official Opposition Leader Carla Beck and Ethics and Democracy Critic Meara Conway grilled the Sask. Party on the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars they have lost on faulty IT software after learning in committee that the government is preparing to fork over another $25.7 million for a new project.
“In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, Scott Moe’s Sask. Party government is blowing millions of dollars on faulty IT software and sticking taxpayers with the bill,” said Beck. “I think the people of Saskatchewan deserve to know where their money has gone and why the government hasn’t learned from their mistakes.”
The Sask. Party government’s disastrous rollout of the Administrative Information Management System (AIMS) threw the healthcare system into even greater chaos and cost taxpayers $138 million. Despite Minister Merriman stating that the multi-million-dollar program would be up and running in “the near future,” six months have passed since it was put on ice.
“Moe’s Minister clearly wants to sweep this under the rug, but you just can’t blow $138 million on faulty IT software and shrug your shoulders like it’s no big deal,” said Beck. “Huge overruns to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars have become all too common for this Sask. Party government.”
AIMS follows a pattern of multi-million-dollar cost overruns on Sask. Party IT contracts. In 2009, the Sask. Party announced that they would be introducing Linkin to “help ministry staff respond to the needs of children and youth in care.” Originally projected to cost $15 million, the program ballooned to $75.9 million as of March 2022.
In this year’s Human Services Committee, the Sask. Party admitted that they are pursuing yet another new $25.7 million software program - MiCase - for the Saskatchewan Income Support program to make up for the shortcomings of the Linkin software.
“Leave it to the Sask. Party government to blow hundreds of millions of dollars on faulty IT software while our schools and hospitals are being run into the ground,” said Conway. “I don't know what’s worse - that Scott Moe is completely out of touch or that he couldn’t manage a three-car parade. The people of Saskatchewan deserve accountability.”
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