No punishment for Epstein over convention centre leak
Posted Sep 30, 2010 05:40:30 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
After a lengthy discussion behind closed doors the members of Nova Scotia’s NDP government have agreed MLA Howard Epstein will not face any disciplinary action.
Epstein was the target of much ire from colleagues after he leaked details of the proposed downtown convention centre to The Coast earlier this week.
The caucus met on Wednesday to debate what, if any consequences he should face for revealing the erstwhile closely-guarded information.
Epstein was asked to explain exactly how the information slipped out.
“I didn’t call The Coast, The Coast called me,” he said. “When they called they wanted to have a discussion about the convention centre, which I did. It was a long discussion and in the middle of that discussion the number 57 [million dollars] popped out.”
He says he apologized to the caucus for his breach of confidentiality and says the information should have been released by the minister of infrastructure.
“I didn’t do it deliberately to pre-empt him,” he said. “There are things that you learn in confidence in caucus, and you hold on to them and I don’t disagree with that.”
After offering his mea culpa, Epstein was asked to leave the room while the caucus discussed possible sanctions. Premier Darrell Dexter says it was a long discussion.
“Caucus agreed to accept his apology,” he said. “(We) agreed to accept that these were inadvertent, and therefore that there would not be any disciplinary action.”
Dexter says he doesn’t think the lack of action will prompt caucus members to go about leaking information in the future.
Epstein says he’s happy to remain a member of the NDP caucus and, contrary to reports that surfaced Wednesday, said he was not planning to leave.
