(File photo/northeastNOW)

By Cam Lee

Nipawin council update

Nipawin council to decide whether to hold by-election for vacated council seat

May 16, 2024 | 4:00 PM

The town of Nipawin is down one councillor, but it’s not yet known if he will be replaced.

Bruce Pihowich resigned as a member of Town Council on Apr. 23 after accepting the position of Deputy Fire Chief. He was a councillor for over three years.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Michele Sorensen told northeastNOW that according to provincial legislation, if a member of council resigns within a year of a municipal election, council is not required to hold a by-election.

“That doesn’t mean that they can’t so choose, and so at our next council meeting on (May) 27 we’ll have the resolution brought forward, and council will decide then if they want to have a by-election or not,” Sorensen explained.

While she can’t speak for council, Sorensen said Nipawin is only six months away from the civic election, and she’s not sure if council will choose to hold a by-election.

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The cost of a potential by-election is a significant concern, said Sorensen, especially since the new councillor would only spend a few months on council before having to run again in the election in November.

Council also approved an update to the town’s Violence Prevention Policy. Nipawin had a violence policy already in place, but Sorensen said amendments to the occupational health and safety provisions of the Saskatchewan Employment Act are coming into effect May 17.

“All provincially regulated workplaces are required to have a violence policy and prevention plan in place, so we just reviewed ours and made some changes and updates just to ensure that we’re compliant with the new legislation,” Sorensen explained.

She said this version is merely an update on the former policy, adding that all employees need to feel safe in their workplace.

Council has also approved the awarding of a stump-grinding tender to McKinnon Skid Steer Services for a total cost of $36,225, with the funding coming from the Parks Capital budget.

A major windstorm last July left about 280 tree stumps for the town to have to deal with.

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @northeastNOW_SK