By Brad Jennings
May 26, 2021 | 10:51 AM
The matter of whether Councillor Darren Hill is still qualified to remain on City Council will go in front of a Court of Queen’s Bench judge for the first time Thursday.
Hill was late in filing election contribution and expense statements, a violation of a city bylaw that disqualifies elected officials from their position. While Hill took full responsibility for his actions he said a diagnosis of COVID-19 along with other health and personal issues lead to brain fog, causing him to miss the deadline.
While the Cities Act would have allowed Council to make a decision, councillors voiced concerns towards making that judgement. That led to City Council passing a motion to seek an independent review and an application from the City Solicitor’s office was sent to the Court of Queen’s Bench for a judge to look at the case.
By Brad Jennings
May 10, 2021 | 7:17 PM
Saskatoon City Council has chosen to rescind a nomination for Councillor Darren Hill to run in an election for the board of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Hill currently serves as the second vice-president of the FCM Board of Directors
Councillor Marin Loewen says the representative to that board should be able to fulfill the roles and expectations of that role. “The President of FCM has written a letter outlining serious concerns with patterns of behavior, that he has observed from Councillor Hill and the impacts of these behaviors they have had on governance and the staff.” Loewen says these are concerns they are taking seriously and says based off the information that council has it was the most responsible decision.
SASKATOON A crash involving a train and an Access Transit bus earlier this year largely resulted from a driver s choice in parking location, according to a city report. The crash happened at a CP rail crossing at 20th Street West near Avenue L South on the morning of Jan. 20. It did not result in any serious injuries. There was one passenger aboard the bus. The city s investigation found there were safe alternatives for parking, that did not encroach on the rail line. The driver involved has been subject to appropriate remedial action and information sessions have been held for all Access Transit drivers concerning appropriate parking locations in the area, according to the report.
SASKATOON Saskatoon city council opted to file an application with Court of Queen s Bench, to have a judge rule on whether or not Councillor Darren Hill s violation of the campaign disclosure and spending limits bylaw is enough to disqualify him from council. In a report authored by the returning elections officer Scott Bastian, city council heard Coun. Hill was the only candidate who was elected in the November civic election, who was late to file his campaign expenses. Under the bylaw, a violation means he s disqualified from council and must resign immediately. Council unanimously agreed to make an application to a judge to determine if Coun. Hill should be disqualified from his position on council or if the late filing was an honest mistake. Coun. Hill told council Monday night compounding health issues including a COVID-19 diagnosis were contributing factors to his late filing.
By Brad Jennings
Apr 27, 2021 12:18 AM
A decision on whether Councillor Darren Hill will have to resign from City Council will be decided by a Court of Queenâs Bench judge.
Hill was late in filing election contribution and expense statements, a violation of a city bylaw that disqualifies elected officials from their position. However, a section in the bylaw states that council can make an application for the matter to be put in front of a judge.
Council unanimously passed a motion for that to happen, including Mayor Charlie Clark, who says an independent evaluation of the situation makes the most sense. Clark suggested whether they chose to do nothing and let Hill return to council, or disqualify him from council, each of those paths would likely end with an appeal in front of a judge.