By Michael Joel-Hansen

Municipal Affairs

SUMA passes motion allowing municipalities to remove those who violate ethics

Feb 5, 2019 | 12:34 PM

The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) Convention heard from delegates Monday afternoon.

A number of resolutions were voted on by those in attendance. These ranged from one brought forward by the Town of Battleford calling for the creation of a registration process for all terrain vehicles, which was adopted, to one from the Town of La Ronge calling for a five per cent tax on alcohol sales to be returned to municipalities where it was collected, which was defeated.

One of the successful motions brought forward at the convention came from the Resort Village of Candle Lake. The resolutions called on the Government of Saskatchewan to give municipalities the power to remove councillors who commit ethics violations.

Speaking to paNOW after the vote, Candle Lake Mayor Borden Wasyluk said adopting the motion shows there is an issue.

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“There’s an awful lot of councillors that are really rogue councillors, they don’t want to listen to anything and the council really doesn’t have any power to expel them,” he said.

The Resort Village of Candle Lake has seen its own controversy involving Coun. Ron Cherkewich, who is accused of ethics violations. Cherkewich’s case is currently working its way through the court process.

“I’ve heard lots of stories, you can go to your own council meetings in Prince Albert where they’ve suspended people,” Wasyluk said. “Moose Jaw’s got a bunch under suspension, there’s the R.M. of Blaine Lake, there’s just dozens of such examples.”

With Candle Lake’s resolution approved, SUMA now has a mandate to lobby the provincial government to make changes to the current legislation. Wasyluk said he hopes to see some significant changes.

“I think what I would like to see is just outright authority to remove somebody from council providing just cause has been followed,” he said.

The mayor added positioning someone to oversee the process is another aspect he’d like to see.

“I’d be surprised if it doesn’t get somewhere,” he said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn