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CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Ethics complaint lodged against Manitoba politician over stock sold in wake of CTV article
An ethics complaint has been made against Mike Moroz, Minister of Innovation and New Technology, regarding Telus shares he sold earlier this month. Moroz said that the accusations are baseless. (Glenn Pismenny/CTV News Winnipeg) An ethics complaint has been made against Mike Moroz, Minister of Innovation and New Technology, related to stock he sold in the wake of a CTV News report about a man who died during a Telus outage. Konrad Narth, MLA for La Vérendrye, alleged on Tuesday that Moroz used 'insider information available to him as a minister of the crown to sell personal shares in a corporation before a report that reflects negatively on that corporation was made public.' From March 22 to 24, a Telus outage prevented calls to 911 from going through. On March 23, Dean Switzer, 55, suffered a heart attack in his home outside Fisher Branch, Man.; however, his family and friends were unable to connect to 911 due to the outage. He died later that night. Two months later, on May 16, Telus filed a three-page final report following an investigation on the outage. Moroz stated during question period on Tuesday that he sold his shares in Telus on May 8, but added that the information was already public knowledge. 'On April 8, CTV published their story. This is important, because the outage and Telus' responsibility was public information,' he said. 'The next day, my office wrote a letter to Telus expressing outrage over the situation at the way it was handled and urging them to work with the CRTC, which regulates them, and all other levels of government, to provide the answers and assurance that this would not happen again.' The minister explained he sold his shares in Telus as he wanted to go 'above and beyond the recommendations,' adding that he lost money on the transaction. 'The accusations are baseless,' Moroz said during question period. 'I acted based on publicly available information and media reporting. If the opposition had done their research properly, they also would've made this determination.' During Tuesday's question period, Opposition Leader Obby Khan said there seems to be a 'direct conflict of interest and violation,' adding that Moroz was privy to insider information regarding a 'damaging' Telus report. 'The questions Manitobans have is something looks fishy here, something looks wrong,' Khan said. 'We ask questions, Manitobans deserve answers.'
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba cabinet minister denies insider trading after selling shares in phone company blamed for 911 outage
A Manitoba cabinet minister is being accused of insider trading for selling his shares in Telus while knowing the company's 911 phone outage may have contributed to a 55-year-old's death. The Tories filed a complaint with the ethics commissioner Tuesday, alleging Mike Moroz, minister of innovation and new technology, relied on information he only knew as government minister when he unloaded his stocks in the telecommunications company. The party argued Moroz's actions violated Manitoba's conflict of interest act. It seems that the "minister was privy to insider information that only he had in regards to a damning … Telus report in relation to the death of a Manitoban when the 911 system went down," Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan said. However, Moroz is rejecting the allegations. He said he was solely acting on public information and media reports when he chose to sell his stocks in Telus, and his decision shows he was going "above and beyond" requirements from the ethics commissioner. Shares sold 1 month after news The Tory complaint centres on the timing of Moroz selling his shares. Public disclosure records show he disposed of his Telus shares on May 13, one day before he named the company in question period for a 911 outage that prevented Dean Switzer's loved ones from reaching emergency dispatch centre. None of their more than 20 calls were answered. Switzer, 55, died of a heart attack in his home outside Fisher Branch, Man., on March 23. The story was initially reported by CTV News on Apr. 8 and the next day Moroz sent a letter to Telus regarding his concerns. A month later, the Progressive Conservatives brought up the outage in question period and Moroz didn't single out the company while answering questions, according to a official transcription of the legislative debate. He only mentioned Telus by name on May 14, the day after he sold his shares, according to disclosure records. The next day in question period, Moroz revealed he had read Telus's interim report about the phone outage. "Mr. Moroz had a private interest, he owned shares in Telus Corporation. He sold those shares while being informed of an internal investigation into a system failure that disrupted access to emergency services," the PC complaint reads. "This is a textbook example of making financial decisions related to information not available to the general public, and abusing access available solely as a result of his position as a minister of the Crown." Moroz denied having privileged information. He called the Tory accusations "baseless." "I acted based on publicly available information and media reporting. If the opposition had done their research properly, they also would have made this determination," he told reporters, who waited 46 minutes for Moroz to address media after the Progressive Conservatives answered questions on the ethics commissioner complaint. Moroz said he was relying on publicly accessible information, such as Telus's letters to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which can be found online. "We have no regulatory authority over telecommunications, so there is no conceivable inside information that I could have access to," Moroz said. "Telus owes me nothing in terms of communication. In fact, neither the interim report nor the final report were sent to my office. I got them online with everyone else." He added the ethics commissioner, with whom he met shortly after becoming a cabinet minister late last year, had no issue with him owning stocks in Telus. Moroz said he went "above and beyond what's necessary" in choosing to sell the stocks. The minister's office said Moroz lost around $1,000 on the transaction, but his spokesperson didn't answer when asked about the value of the stocks he had in total. 'No impropriety:' Moroz "What I wanted to make sure I did was make sure that not only was there no impropriety, but there's no appearance of impropriety." Public disclosure records only require MLAs to list the shares, held by themselves, their spouse or dependents, in which the value exceeds $5,000. Moroz added he sold his shares on May 8, but it took until May 13 for the change to be reflected in the disclosure records. The PCs brought forward the new ethics complaint just days after the party was rapped by the ethics commissioner for trying to push through a silica sand mining project after losing the 2023 election. The commissioner recommended three senior Tories, including former premier Heather Stefanson, be fined between $10,000 and $18,000 each.
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba cabinet minister denies insider training after selling shares in phone company blamed for 911 outage
A Manitoba cabinet minister is being accused of insider training for selling his shares in Telus while knowing the company's 911 phone outage may have contributed to a 55-year-old's death. The Tories filed a complaint with the ethics commissioner Tuesday, alleging Mike Moroz, minister of innovation and new technology, relied on information he only knew as government minister when he unloaded his stocks in the telecommunications company. The party argued Moroz's actions violated Manitoba's conflict of interest act. It seems that the "minister was privy to insider information that only he had in regards to a damning … Telus report in relation to the death of a Manitoban when the 911 system went down," Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan said. However, Moroz is rejecting the allegations. He said he was solely acting on public information and media reports when he chose to sell his stocks in Telus, and his decision shows he was going "above and beyond" requirements from the ethics commissioner. Shares sold 1 month after news The Tory complaint centres on the timing of Moroz selling his shares. Public disclosure records show he disposed of his Telus shares on May 13, one day before he named the company in question period for a 911 outage that prevented Dean Switzer's loved ones from reaching emergency dispatch centre. None of their more than 20 calls were answered. Switzer, 55, died of a heart attack in his home outside Fisher Branch, Man., on March 23. The story was initially reported by CTV News on Apr. 8 and the next day Moroz sent a letter to Telus regarding his concerns. A month later, the Progressive Conservatives brought up the outage in question period and Moroz didn't single out the company while answering questions, according to a official transcription of the legislative debate. He only mentioned Telus by name on May 14, the day after he sold his shares, according to disclosure records. The next day in question period, Moroz revealed he had read Telus's interim report about the phone outage. "Mr. Moroz had a private interest, he owned shares in Telus Corporation. He sold those shares while being informed of an internal investigation into a system failure that disrupted access to emergency services," the PC complaint reads. "This is a textbook example of making financial decisions related to information not available to the general public, and abusing access available solely as a result of his position as a minister of the Crown." Moroz denied having privileged information. He called the Tory accusations "baseless." "I acted based on publicly available information and media reporting. If the opposition had done their research properly, they also would have made this determination," he told reporters, who waited 46 minutes for Moroz to address media after the Progressive Conservatives answered questions on the ethics commissioner complaint. Moroz said he was relying on publicly accessible information, such as Telus's letters to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which can be found online. "We have no regulatory authority over telecommunications, so there is no conceivable inside information that I could have access to," Moroz said. "Telus owes me nothing in terms of communication. In fact, neither the interim report nor the final report were sent to my office. I got them online with everyone else." He added the ethics commissioner, with whom he met shortly after becoming a cabinet minister late last year, had no issue with him owning stocks in Telus. Moroz said he went "above and beyond what's necessary" in choosing to sell the stocks. The minister's office said Moroz lost around $1,000 on the transaction, but his spokesperson didn't answer when asked about the value of the stocks he had in total. 'No impropriety:' Moroz "What I wanted to make sure I did was make sure that not only was there no impropriety, but there's no appearance of impropriety." Public disclosure records only require MLAs to list the shares, held by themselves, their spouse or dependents, in which the value exceeds $5,000. Moroz added he sold his shares on May 8, but it took until May 13 for the change to be reflected in the disclosure records. The PCs brought forward the new ethics complaint just days after the party was rapped by the ethics commissioner for trying to push through a silica sand mining project after losing the 2023 election. The commissioner recommended three senior Tories, including former premier Heather Stefanson, be fined between $10,000 and $18,000 each.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Minister blasts Telus' ‘lack of information' during 911 outage, calls for CRTC to step in
Manitoba's Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz pictured in his constituency office in Winnipeg on May 16, 2025. (Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg) A provincial minister is calling for the CRTC to step in and take action after Telus refused to publicly release critical details surrounding a 911 outage during which a Manitoba man died. On Monday, Manitoba's Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz wrote a letter to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in response to the outage. 'Our government strongly believes that all Manitobans need to be able to access 911 services in their time of need,' Moroz wrote. His letter comes following the death of Dean Switzer, a 55-year-old man who suffered a heart attack at his home just outside Fisher Branch, Man. His family has said Dean's wife and friends made more than 20 desperate calls to 911, but none got through. Read more: Manitoba family unable to contact 911 during deadly heart attack Telus has since confirmed there was an outage lasting 38 hours and 15 minutes from March 22 to 24, which impacted some customers' ability to call 911. Two months later, Telus filed a three-page final report following its investigation into the outage. However, the company redacted critical details such as what caused the outage, how many people were impacted, and what was done to fix the problem. Click here to read more about the report: Telus has filed its final report on a 911 outage, but critical details are redacted Telus cited security concerns of Canada's 911 networks as the reason for the redaction, but Moroz said he's not satisfied. 'The lack of information in the interim report and in communications by Telus with my office does little to reassure Manitobans they can count on these telecommunications companies,' the minister wrote in his letter, noting Telus did not alert the province of the outage at any point. He has called on the CRTC to release the full unredacted report from Telus. He has also asked the federal regulatory body to direct all telecommunications providers in Manitoba to proactively alert the province and his department of any service disruptions or failures of 911 services. 'Matters of 911 service are of the utmost importance, and Manitobans need assurance from the CRTC that these networks will be available when they need them most,' Moroz wrote. CTV News has reached out to the CRTC for comment. Tories call for public inquiry Opposition Leader Obby Khan called for a public inquiry into the outage. 'The family and Manitobans deserve an answer as to why the emergency system wasn't working when they needed it most,' he said during Question Period on Monday. 'Work has to be done to ensure that this doesn't happen in the future.' In response, Deputy Premier Uzoma Asagwara, Manitoba's health minister, called the situation an unacceptable tragedy. 'We're going to work with partners who were involved to deliver the service to make sure that Manitobans don't see that happen again,' they said.
CBC
15-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Family of man who died from heart attack wants answers after 911 calls didn't get through
Social Sharing Raymond Switzer is left wondering if his son would be alive today if any of the nearly two dozen calls made to 911 the night he died were answered. Dean Switzer, 55, died of a heart attack in his home outside Fisher Branch, a rural community in Manitoba's Interlake, on March 23, his father said. Raymond Switzer said family and friends rushed to Dean's home, performed CPR and repeatedly called 911 in a frantic attempt to get help, but none of the 22 calls went through. Sometimes, the phone rang over and over again. Other times, the caller got a recording telling them to hang up and try again. All of the callers were Telus customers, he added. Emergency services were only notified because a family friend called an RCMP officer, who sent an ambulance to the home, said Switzer. But by then, "it was too late," he said. 'Tragic situation:' minister Dean died two days before his 56th birthday. He had no history of heart problems. The Opposition Progressive Conservatives took up the family's demand for answers during question period at the legislature on Wednesday, where Interlake-Gimli MLA Derek Johnson asked the NDP government why rural calls to 911 aren't getting through. In response, Minister of Innovation and New Technology Mike Moroz offered his condolences to the Switzer family and presented a letter he sent to Telus expressing his concerns about what he referred to as "outages." "This tragic situation has left the family grieving, frustrated and seeking answers," Moroz wrote in his letter to Telus. The minister said he understands Telus is investigating the matter, alongside Bell, the 911 network provider in Manitoba. "My hope is that this investigation can provide some answers and recommendations to ensure this kind of tragedy is prevented in the future," Moroz said. Telus didn't immediately respond to CBC's request for comment. A Bell spokesperson said the 911 service and the 911 dispatch centre in Brandon were fully operational on the day in question, and emergency calls from Bell customers and nine other service providers were processed successfully. "However, we are aware that 911 calls from Telus destined to [the] Brandon 911 agency in Manitoba were not reaching the Bell 911 network on March 23," the email said. Seven weeks later, Raymond Switzer said he's losing hope he'll get any answers about what went wrong. "I said I wanted nothing from [Telus]," he said, breaking down during a phone interview. "The only thing I want to be sure is that this never, never happens again to another family." Raymond remembered his son as someone who enjoyed spending time at the lake and had many good friends. He leaves behind his wife of 30 years. "I could depend on him anytime when I needed something," Raymond said. He also said nobody from the family has received an apology, or even a phone call, from Telus. "They just don't give a damn, as far as I'm concerned." Another failed case The Tories say they're worried the issue hasn't been resolved. According to La Verendrye MLA Konrad Narth, on Tuesday night, a person in the Zhoda area in southeastern Manitoba tried unsuccessfully to contact 911 about a wildfire approaching a neighbour's home. Firefighters only arrived after another person was able to reach 911, Narth told reporters. In both examples, cellphone service in the area wasn't an issue, but a call to 911 was, according to both Narth and Johnson. The MLAs wouldn't name the cellular service provider or providers involved. "It's greatly concerning that people's first thought is to dial 911, and it's a helpless feeling for those not able to access the help," Narth said.
