Province of Alberta’s communications department worried public may question sole-source contract

By Brett McKay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Investigative Journalism Foundation

Alberta’s government worried the public would question a $300,000 sole-source contract to a public relations firm but argued Prime Minister Mark Carney’s election win created an urgent need to inform and engage Albertans that its own communications staff couldn’t handle, documents show.

The Communications and Public Engagement (CPE) department hired Mash Strategy to run the campaign for the Alberta Next Panel, which toured town halls and launched online surveys this summer promoting the government’s proposed Alberta Pension Plan, provincial police force, immigration reforms and other policies.

The contract was issued in May, and states that CPE staff had been considered for the panel, but “due to the complex nature of this campaign, internal resources are not suitable.” Details of the contract haven’t previously been reported.

In a section of the procurement document on potential risks and mitigation, management flagged that “There may be public questions about why this was procured via sole source and this is mitigated by the urgency created by new leadership within the Government of Canada and the need to respond quickly to a fast-paced and important issue, ensuring Albertans are informed and engaged with what the province is doing.”

“This government has a bad track record when it comes to ethical procurement, and Albertans are right to question them. Albertans deserve accountability and transparency around how their dollars are being spent, especially when it comes to sole-sourced contracts,” Kyle Kasawski, Alberta NDP MLA for Sherwood Park, told the IJF.

Mash Strategy partner Paul Taillon and campaign strategist Hadyn Place previously worked for the UCP government.

The IJF previously reported that the firm received a sole-source contract for $200,000 to manage the province’s education campaign during the teachers’ strike this fall, making the company the largest recipient of sole-source contracts from CPE this year.

The Alberta Next contract says that CPE does not have the capability “to support mass-reaching advertising tactics.”

Yonathan Sumamo, assistant deputy minister of ministry communications services with CPE, did not answer questions about what tactics Mash employed and referred the IJF to CPE’s past statement about sole-source contracts with the firm: “Mash Strategy Inc. is a pre-qualified [Government of Alberta] vendor with a proven track record of delivering high-quality products under tight timelines. Given the vendor’s proven capacity to meet accelerated deadlines, they were chosen for this file.”