MLA Nadine Wilson has been charged with common assault and has resigned her position as provincial secretary. She will make an appearance in court in September. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

MLA charged

MLA Nadine Wilson charged with common assault

Jul 26, 2019 | 10:52 AM

Long-serving Saskatchewan Rivers MLA Nadine Wilson has been charged with common assault in relation to an alleged incident involving family members in Saskatoon earlier this year.

The office of Premier Scott Moe issued the following statement Friday morning:

“Yesterday afternoon, I was informed by Nadine Wilson, MLA for Saskatchewan Rivers, that she was charged with common assault related to a private family matter. Ms. Wilson has offered to step down from her role as provincial secretary, which I have accepted. Ms. Wilson maintains her innocence, and as the charges have not been proven in court, she will remain a member of the government caucus.”

The office of the premier said there would be no other news releases related to this scheduled for today.

The matter involves the wife and other members of the family of Wilson’s late father who went public in June with accusations of assault against her.

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Lorraine Kingsley Helbig, 87, who was married to Wilson’s father Walter Helbig for 20 years, claims Wilson burst into her Saskatoon apartment in March 21 and assaulted her. She alleges Wilson also hit her 61-year-old son when he showed up. She claims Wilson had arrived demanding to see her 90-year-old father Walter, who had dementia.

There was no immediate comment from Wilson following the statement from the Premier and she has not commented since the family members went public with their accusations. In June, the Saskatchewan Party said it was a private matter that did not impact her position.

Wilson’s first court appearance is scheduled for 2 p.m. on September 6.

Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan NDP is calling for Wilson to be removed from the government caucus.

“When an MLA is facing serious criminal charges, it’s only reasonable that they resign from caucus until the matter is resolved,” Opposition leader Ryan Meili said in a statement. “By failing to enforce that standard, the Premier is sending the wrong message about how seriously he takes this charge and the issue of elder abuse.”

Earlier, NDP Justice Critic Nicole Sarauer tweeted: “The Premier needs to show leadership: Ms. Wilson can not represent the govt while this is ongoing.”

paNOW reached out to the Helbig family but they said they would not be commenting at this time.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow