A sudden resignation will spark a by-election in the new year to fill the vacancy (file photo/meadowlakeNOW staff)

By Elliott Knopp

Levesque Resignation

Mayor reacts to Levesque resignation, by-election scheduled for 2022

Nov 23, 2021 | 4:51 PM

The unexpected resignation of Councillor Richard Levesque has cast uncertainty as to how council will be formed in the new year.

In his letter of resignation, Levesque cited a lack of direction and accountability as the driving factors behind his decision.

In an interview with meadowlakeNOW, Levesque said he wouldn’t share details contributing to his discontent with council, but highlighted the handling of the multi-use arena as the final element in his decision.

“The people designing the building stated we should commit so much money towards the project, so we had a resolution to commit $15 million, which most of it is insurance money, but we still didn’t have any hard figures of what those amounts were,” he said.

He noted the company also required an additional $50,000 to acquire an architect’s approval of the design, claiming the requirement hadn’t been mentioned prior to the special council meeting held to discuss the application.

Health alerts

Sask NDP sound alarm over TB cases in northern Saskatchewan

23h ago

PYSANKY EASTER EGGS

"It's special to pass this on": Saskatchewan family celebrates Ukrainian Easter heritage

23h ago

BUSTED

Man charged after fleeing from RCMP on dirtbike in Onion Lake

Apr 02, 2026

“That was sort of a surprise at the meeting, and I thought that was not called for. I think we should have had all that information at the time.”

Levesque also stated he believes the City should hire a consultant to conduct an administrative audit and review, which he said would require an amendment to the 2022 budget proposal.

He added he felt neglected as a member of council, which played a part in him opting to resign, rather than working to address the issues from within.

“I brought different issues up over the last two years, and I just felt I was being ignored,” he said. “I just didn’t think the stress was worth it.”

Council caught off guard

Mayor Merlin Seymour said the resignation came as a surprise, as there wasn’t any indication Levesque was considering stepping down from his role.

In regards to the outgoing councillor’s words on the state of the current council, Seymour didn’t have much to say on what was said about the direction of the government.

“I can’t really comment on his comments because I don’t speak for other people,” he said. “If he chose to have a difference of opinion, that’s his right.”

Seymour also refuted the claims that council was not fully informed of the circumstances surrounding the development of the new recreational facility.

“I don’t believe it was pushed on the council,” he said.

“We did have a steering committee looking into the pre-work done so we could have our application for the grant funding, but as far as being pushed into it, absolutely not.”

Now that council will seemingly be operating with one less member, Seymour stated the current board will continue working to serve the community until the vacancy is filled in the new year.

“There’s a reason there’s six counsellors and a mayor, and now that we’re down to five and one, it could have the possibility of presenting some challenges, but we will work through it.”

Levesque was the only councillor not to attend Monday’s scheduled council meeting, but he still holds his seat, can attend meetings and vote on any motion that comes to the board until he has officially stepped down.

Once the resignation is finalized at the end of January, a by-election will be called to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the current term. After that, there will be a 30-day period before there can be a vote to determine the next member of council.

Details regarding the status of the by-election, who can run and how the process will be conducted will be made available to the public as the situation progresses.

—

elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp