NDP searching for answers in Linkin program cost explosion

The Saskatchewan NDP wants answers when it comes to what has gone wrong with the Linkin program and it’s asking for the provincial auditor to investigate.

The Linkin program was announced in 2009 and came with a price tag of $15 million to be paid out over three years.

The goal of the program was to help replace the Ministry of Social Services’ patchwork of aging information systems, as well as to be used to help make life easier for those working in the social services sector.

Since the $15-million program was announced, the opposition NDP says costs for it have skyrocketed to as much as $76 million.

“To say the government isn’t getting bang for the public’s buck would be an understatement,” NDP Social Services Critic Meara Conway said Tuesday. “Ministry of Social Services workers are feeling burnt out and feel they don’t have the tools to do their jobs.

“This program has not been accompanied by any objective improvement in child protection despite (Minister) Donna Harpauer’s promise that it would ‘help ensure the health and safety of all children and youth in the ministry care, and help provide the province’s child welfare workers with the technology they need to best service children and youth,’ ” she added.

Conway suggests a majority of the sectors that were supposed to benefit from the announcement back in 2009 haven’t seen any help from the government.

“My understanding is the project is functioning only for child and family protection,” she claimed. “Originally when the project was announced, it was supposed to cover income assistance programs, community living service delivery, as well as child and family protection.

“It is a program that is supposed to provide workers better tools to do their job. This is a program that costs five times what it was supposed to cost and it doesn’t seem to improve the outcomes for the people it was announced as targeting,” Conway added.

The request for information was made to the provincial auditor on Tuesday morning.

Last year, the Ministry of Social Services said in a statement to CJME its budget for child and family programs had increased by $21 million.

It says that cost also included a total of $73.3 million spent on the Linkin case management system. That includes all development and operational costs since the system’s implementation in 2012. Yearly costs for licensing and maintenance are $2 million.

The Ministry of Social Services issued a statement to 980 CJME about the issue.

The statement said since the Linkin system was implemented, it has evolved over the last 10 years to keep pace with technological advancements and cybersecurity. Because of those advances, the ministry says it has had to make appropriate investments to maintain and enhance the tool to support child and family programs, clients and staff.

The statement added that as of March 31, $75.902 million has been put towards Linkin.

That includes $41.977 million for the historical cost of the capital asset and $33.925 million on operating costs since 2008-09.

Those operating costs cover a range of expenses including salaries, research and pilot projects, maintenance and support, hosting, training materials, reporting tools and maintenance, and new software releases or upgrades.