Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew looks out of the window of the plane during a tour of wildfires in northern Manitoba, including Flin Flon and Thompson on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Deal-Pool)
Manitoba’s ethics commissioner has ruled Premier Wab Kinew did not violate conflict-of-interest rules over charter flights to recent Grey Cup games.
The finding comes after Riding Mountain Tory MLA Greg Nesbitt requested an inquiry in March, questioning flights Kinew took in 2023 and 2024 on planes chartered by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor determined Kinew paid fair market value for the travel, meaning it did not qualify as “accepting travel” under the Conflict of Interest (Members and Ministers) Act. As a result, he was not required to seek prior approval or file disclosures.
The commissioner noted the section of the law governing private air travel is complex and offered guidance for legislators in future cases.
The full report is available below:
