The resignation letters of the former reeve and three councillors for the rural municipality (RM) of Sherwood have been made public with the release of new documents. In mid-March, the previous reeve of the RM of Sherwood, Susan Oakley-Paul, as well as three councillors, Grant Paul, John Wilke and Trent Reiger, resigned, leaving Divisions 2, 3, and 6 vacant. According to her resignation letter, Oakley-Paul vacated her position as reeve to tend to medical issues. “Please regard this as my formal notice of resignation,” she wrote. “Due to medical issues, I feel it is best that I step away from my duties at this time.” Oakley-Paul was first elected as reeve of the RM of Sherwood in 2020. Prior to that, she served for two years as a councillor representing Division 2 in the rural municipality, which surrounds Regina. Councillors Paul, Wilke and Reiger had varying degrees of reasoning behind their departures. Paul referenced the RM’s future in his letter. “Due to the direction the RM council is going I cannot have my name affiliated with the RM anymore,” he said in his resignation notice. Wilke, however, said technological issues prior to a special meeting caused him to resign. “I wish to resign my position immediately,” he wrote. “The reason is that my RM email would not work on Friday evening March 13, 2026 so I could not study item #4 for the special meeting held on March 16, 2026 at 3:30 [p.m.] in the RM of Sherwood #159 council chambers.” The March 16 special meeting was a closed session where council discussed code of ethics and ombudsman complaints as well as the draft 2026 budget, according to the agenda posted to the RM’s website. Meanwhile, Reiger did not provide a formal reason for his resignation. “It has been a honour to serve the Rural Municipality of Sherwood,” he said. “I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to council, administration and the community for their support and collaboration during my time in office.” “I am proud of the work accomplished and remain confident in the municipality’s continued success. I look forward to seeing the RM of Sherwood continue to prosper and grow in the years ahead,” he added. The RM was notified of the resignations between March 16 and March 18. Due to the resignations, the council lost more than half its members and was unable to carry out its signing authorities as set out by provincial legislation. The Ministry of Government Affairs stepped in to assist the municipality regain quorum. In doing so, the ministry appointed four interim members to fill the vacant positions. Former Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities President Ray Orb will be filling the role of reeve, while Mitch Huber, Donna Strudwick and Judy Harwood have been appointed to the vacant council positions. All four will serve as council members on an interim basis until elections are held this fall.
