Sask. government to appoint temporary town councillors in Francis ahead of pending by-election

The province will intervene in a dispute that has left a rural town council unable to function. Wayne Mantyka has the story from Francis, Sask.

The Government of Saskatchewan will help a rural town council move forward to a byelection after a dispute left its council unable to function.

It follows a decision in the town of Francis that resulted in the mayor and some councillors stepping aside.

A summer storm split more than a tree on Main Street in Francis. It has split the town’s council as well.

“There is the stump. This is the tree. You can see where it split right here,” former town councillor Rob Yeramych told CTV News, motioning to the remnants of a nearby tree.

The local councillor says he and the mayor cleared away the mess and billed the town for the work.

“That the town councilmen had to clear away this tree,” councillor Shanney Yeramych explained. “It was an emergency. We’re self-sufficient out here and we can’t really rely on people to come out and rescue us so this was decided that we would do this.”

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The tree removal cost the town $25 an hour, according to the councillor. However, other councillors say the move breached the rules set out in The Municipalities Act.

“Councillors are not supposed to work for the town and be paid,” councillor Sharlene Fitzgerald-Johnson argued.

“If it’s something that needs to be done urgently and we don’t have anybody in town trained for this task we can. A councillor, if he’s the only one or she’s the only one that is trained to do that, then they can do it.”

Four of the seven members of the town’s council have either stepped aside or quit.

“It was a set-up as far as I’m concerned and that’s fine,” Rob Yeramych added. “I don’t want to be on council here anymore.”

The provincial government will make one or more temporary appointments to council – so municipal work can continue until a byelection is held to replace the councillors that have departed.

“In the case of Francis, Government Relations is currently working to identify potential appointees and determine a date for by-elections to be held,” a statement from the Ministry of Government Relations said.

Once the appointments are made, the Ministry of Government Relations is not involved in any municipal decision making, besides helping set the by-election date.