Ward 6 councillor Dan Leblanc fired from job at law firm

City councillor fired from law firm WATCH: City councillor and local attorney Dan LeBlanc is starting his own law firm after being fired from his old job. Colton Wiens reports.

REGINA — Ward 6 councillor Daniel LeBlanc said he has been fired from law firm Gerrand Rath Johnson (GRJ) LLP, according to a post on his Facebook page.

LeBlanc said in the post he was let go “without cause” on Jan. 29 and is starting his own firm called LeBlanc Law.

“Employers in Saskatchewan are able to terminate without cause and that’s what was done here,” LeBlanc said.

In an email, Crystal Norbeck, a partner with GRJ, confirmed LeBlanc no longer works at the firm.

“The circumstances of his departure are confidential, every employee has the right to confidentiality regarding their employment, and we respect that,” Norbeck said.

Leblanc said the new firm will focus on climate action, Indigenous rights and those who can’t afford legal help.

“I’m trying to set up a fee structure to allow people to access quality legal services, that’s a big passion of mine,” Leblanc said.

CITY COUNCIL

LeBlanc recently came under fire after putting forth a motion at an executive committee meeting that if approved, would ban oil industry sponsorships from city-owned facilities.

Council withdrew the motion following a strong public reaction to the issue.

Leblanc said a tweet from Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe “unnecessarily escalated” the situation.

“I do think that was inappropriate and I think it led to a predictable response which was furthering a misunderstanding of what we were doing there,” Leblanc said.

Despite “personal attacks” over the motion, Leblanc said he will continue bringing climate action motions forward, adding he understands he will likely face organized opposition at every step.

“I think it’s a time for me and for other councillors where we need some political courage, some backbone, because we’ve seen what the opposition to serious climate action looks like,” LeBlanc said.