ManitobaA former Manitoba cabinet minister has paid a fine levied against him for violating conflict of interest laws. Speaker Tom Lindsey told the Manitoba Legislative Assembly Tuesday that Cliff Cullen has paid the $12,000 fine related to an ethics commissioner’s report released on May 21.Cullen was fined $12K in May after report said he tried to push through mining projectCBC News · Posted: Nov 04, 2025 5:17 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe deadline for former cabinet minister Cliff Cullen to pay his $12,000 fine was this Thursday. (CBC)A former Manitoba cabinet minister has paid a fine levied against him for violating conflict of interest laws.Speaker Tom Lindsey told the Manitoba Legislative Assembly Tuesday that Cliff Cullen has paid the $12,000 fine related to a proposed sand mine.The deadline for Cullen to pay the fine was this Thursday. Former premier Heather Stefanson has already paid an $18,000 fine, while another former cabinet minister, Jeff Wharton, has paid a $10,000 fine. An ethics commissioner’s report released on May 21 said the three Progressive Conservatives attempted to push through a licence for a Sio Silica sand mine project after the PCs lost the October 2023 provincial election.Members of the Manitoba Legislature from all parties voted unanimously in favour of the report issued in May by Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor, who ruled that Stefanson, her deputy premier Cliff Cullen and her economic development minister Jeff Wharton all tried to get the mining project approved after the Progressive Conservatives lost the 2023 election, before the NDP government could be sworn in.Of the three politicians fined, only Wharton remains an MLA, as he continues to represent Red River North.
Former cabinet minister Cliff Cullen pays fine for violating conflict of interest law
