Ken Cheveldayoff leading Sask. party leadership candidates in fundraising

Ken Cheveldayoff, MLA for Saskatoon Willowgrove, has raised the most money of the five candidates officially running for leadership of the Saskatchewan Party.

As of the end of October, Cheveldayoff had raised $177,528 — $146,965 of which came from 56 different corporations.

Including donations under $250, Cheveldayoff, who served as the minister of Parks, Culture and Sport prior to announcing his leadership bid, received 109 contributions totalling $30,563 — 27 of which accounted for $18,185 of that.

Campaigns and their donors

Five donors contributed $10,000 each to Cheveldayoff's campaign: Millennium III Capital Corp.; 1558847 Ontario Inc., a numbered company connected to Ontario lawyer Kevin E. Kemp; Kalmacoff Holdings Ltd.; Thunder Ridge Farms; and Dutchak Holdings.

Candidate Scott Moe has raised $138,366 for his campaign, with $67,350 coming from corporate donations. Moe's biggest donors were Jo-Ann and Kelly Panteluk, who contributed over $25,000. 

Alanna Koch has raised $132,023 for her leadership campaign, with $50,500 coming from 29 corporations. The biggest donor to Koch's campaign was the Driving Change Automotive Group, which donated $10,000.

Gordon Wyant's campaign donations sit at $112,181, with $74,216 coming from corporate donations. Redhead Equipment Ltd. donated $20,000 to Wyant's campaign, while Pow City Mechanical chipped in $10,000. 

Tina Beaudry-Mellor has raised $34,424, with $15,000 coming from Mellor Law Firm's Kevin Mellor. 

Premier Brad Wall announced in August he will retire from politics. The Sask. Party's new leader, who will also become premier of the province, is to be chosen in January.

Five people have officially announced leadership bids, with a sixth — former MP Rob Clarke — announcing earlier this week he would run for leadership as well.