Stefanson’s former chief of staff ‘not proud’ of serial speeding in government vehicle last year

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This article was published 29/08/2023 (772 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A high-ranking political official, who formerly served as Premier Heather Stefanson’s chief of staff, incurred thousands of dollars in traffic fines while behind the wheel of a government vehicle — including a ticket for travelling near-highway speeds within city limits.

Documents obtained by the Free Press show traffic cameras in Winnipeg flagged Jordan Sisson for speeding five times between Aug. 29 and Sept. 26 of last year, resulting in charges of $1,598. Sisson failed to address any of the fines before their required deadline, leading to $750 in surcharges.

On each occasion, he was driving a vehicle owned by the provincial government.

Sisson, who was replaced as Stefanson’s chief of staff last May, has since settled the fines at his personal expense, he said by phone Tuesday.

“On my part, absolutely no excuse. Speeding is speeding. It’s an error and a choice that we as humans make and I obviously made the poor choice on that occasion,” he said.

“I learned my lesson, paid the fines and have not had any trouble since.”

The documents included accounts of the offences in question, including when and where they happened, how fast Sisson was travelling and photographs of the suspect vehicle — a white, 2017 Ford Escape SUV.

In one instance, dating back to Sept. 2 of last year, he was caught speeding 95 kilometres per hour in a 60 km/h zone on northbound Pembina Highway near Dalhousie Drive at 12:57 a.m.

Six minutes later, he was caught again on northbound Pembina Highway at Grant Avenue, travelling 82 km/h in a 60 km/h zone.

“Not proud of it; human error,” Sisson said, when asked why he would travel at such an excessive speed.

“Thankfully there was no further damages or incidents or anything like that. God forbid I ever caused an accident. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

“God forbid I ever caused an accident. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”–Jordan Sisson

Sisson, who is originally from Brandon, added he was “unfamiliar” with Winnipeg roads and posted speed limits. He acknowledged it is a driver’s responsibility to be aware of such things.

The fines were initially issued to the Vehicle and Equipment Management Agency, which manages the province’s fleet of vehicles.

The documents show clerks and officials repeatedly sent emails to Sisson asking him to address the outstanding fines before their respective deadlines.

When he failed to respond, the agency paid on his behalf, adding a $50 processing fee each time. The provincial court imposed its own late fees of $100 per ticket.

The year the fines were issued, Sisson was collecting an annual salary of $164,203, according to his employment agreement.

Because the tickets did not come directly to him, he was unaware of the deadlines in some cases, he said.

He did not recall specifics about the incidents, but noted he was allowed to drive the vehicle after work hours for personal use, provided he documented his mileage.

Sisson remains on the provincial government’s payroll as the director of regional cabinet operations in Brandon — a position he held before working for Stefanson.

He announced plans to run for the West Brandon constituency earlier this year, after incumbent Tory MLA Reg Helwer announced he would not seek re-election on Oct. 3. Sisson later changed his mind, saying he was putting his political aspirations on hold to spend more time with family.

In late February, after returning to work from a leave of absence, Sisson decided he would no longer drive government vehicles, he said.

“I opted out… because I had made those mistakes and thought it was kind of a self-punishment. One of the benefits of having the (vehicle) is also the responsibility of having it, and I was not responsible in that moment, so I made the personal choice.”

The provincial government and PC caucus offered little comment on the fines.

“Mr. Sisson has paid the tickets at his own expense. Manitoba does not condone anybody breaking the Highway Traffic Act. Mr. Sisson no longer has access to any government vehicle,” a provincial spokesperson said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca