RM of Sherwood Reeve, 3 councillors resign

Four resignations leave R.M. of Sherwood without quorum. Province to appoint officials to restore council under the Municipalities Act. Donovan Maess reports.

The Reeve of the RM of Sherwood, along with three councillors, have resigned according to administration.

In an update Wednesday, the RM confirmed the resignation of Reeve Susan Oakley-Paul, along with Coun. Grant Paul, John Wilke and Trent Reiger.

“The RM acknowledges and respects their decisions and extends appreciation for their contributions to the municipality and its residents,” the update said.

“With these vacancies, the RM of Sherwood remains committed to ensuring stable and transparent governance.”

No reasons have been given for the resignations.

CTV News attempted to contact the former reeve and former councillors.

Those who responded to requests for comment declined for legal reasons.

Sherwood says “municipal operations, services, and administrative functions continue without interruption” under the leadership of Chief Administrative Officer Brad Wiebe and remaining Council members.

“Despite these unexpected changes, our commitment to serving the ratepayers of the RM of Sherwood remains strong,” the RM said. “Administration will continue to work closely with Council to maintain stable governance and ensure that municipal services operate smoothly and without disruption.”

The Ministry of Government Relations says it has initiated a search for individuals to appoint and serve on council to constitute quorum.

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The Municipalities Act stipulates if all the seats on a council become vacant for any reason or if the remaining members of council do not constitute a quorum, the minister may, by order, do one or more of the following:

• (A) Appoint a returning officer and fix a date for an election to fill the vacancies
• (B) Appoint one or more persons to act as members of council and hold office until the vacancies are filled at an election, and every person so appointed has all the powers, rights and obligations of an elected member
• (C) Deem one or more persons appointed pursuant to clause (b) to constitute a quorum.

“Restoring quorum is essential so the municipality can legally conduct business and make decisions,” the ministry said. “The appointed council ensures that routine daily operations can continue until quorum is restored through an election.”

“These appointed persons will hold office until the general municipal election in November 2026 where all vacancies will be filled,” the RM added.

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.

The RM did not respond to a request for further comment

- With files from Jeremy Simes