A Sask Party MLA and former party leadership candidate has resigned his seat and renounced the Parental Rights Bill as he pursues the City of Saskatoon’s top job.Gordon Wyant was MLA for Saskatoon Northwest from 2010 to 2024 and was a Saskatoon Ward 5 City Councillor from 2003 to 2010. Prior to this, he was chair of the Saskatoon Public School Board. At a media event on Monday, he announced his retirement from provincial politics to pursue the mayor’s chair.“Ladies and gentlemen, our campaign will be built on three fundamental pillars, public safety, affordability and transparency. These pillars are embodied in our slogan, safe streets and smart spending. And these aren't just catchy phrases. They're the foundation of my vision for Saskatoon, and I know that you all share them,” Wyant said.“On affordability, last year, we experienced a nearly 12% effective increase in taxes, and that's unsustainable for families and unsustainable for businesses. We need to rethink the way City of Saskatoon budgets are set, and the parameters for our administration to meet when establishing their budgets.”The lawyer and former Attorney General for Saskatchewan said a competitive tax structure would help grow the city’s economy an would be possible through “careful planning and responsible management.”“Transparency at City Hall is our third pillar. Decisions made behind closed doors breed citizens, and we've seen a lot of that. We need to bring these discussions into the open and involve the community in all our processes,” Wyant explained.“I think there's an opportunity to make some changes to make it easier for public to engage with council. Far too often we hear of complaints from the public about the difficulty of expressing their concerns. We're going to fix that by making council more open and more accessible.”Saskatoon Pride followed Regina’s example by banning Sask Party MLAs from its Pride events over the Parental Rights Bill. Wyant, who placed fourth in the leadership race to replace Brad Wall in 2018, distanced himself from his party’s legislation. He said he hoped to be in the Pride parade June 22.“I said in my speech in the House, gender identity as a prohibited ground of discrimination is my proudest moment at the legislature. And you'll know I didn't vote on the legislation that the government had brought forward in the emergency session. I didn't vote for it, and I think that indicates the fact that I wasn't supportive of the legislation the way it was and the way it was brought forward,” Wyant said.“I have reached out, reached out to organizers of the Pride Parade. I'll be having conversations with them this week in terms of my participation, if it's their position that they don't want me to participate in the parade, I'll be very respectful of that. I hope they change their mind.“I've participated in pretty much every pride parade since I was on Saskatoon City Council, and I'm very proud of my attendance record and proud of my support for human rights when it comes to transgender individuals.”.Cynthia Block also announced her candidacy for mayor on Monday. The former journalist and graduate of the University of Saskatchewan has been a Ward 6 councillor since 2016.Block listed five priorities in a three-minute speech to announce her candidacy. They included modernizing of public transit, acting on reconciliation and inclusion, and revitalization of downtown.“First and foremost, we have to make sure we are minding the essentials. Of course, basic infrastructure, roads and sidewalks and good services for our city, and making sure that we are addressing safety in our community,” Block said.“Second, I think that we must focus on housing. It is urgently needed in our city. We are dealing with a crisis. We are dealing with a crisis in access to housing, we are dealing with a crisis in affordability, and as we all know, homelessness needs a lot of attention.”Saskatoon residents go to the polls Wednesday, November 13.
A Sask Party MLA and former party leadership candidate has resigned his seat and renounced the Parental Rights Bill as he pursues the City of Saskatoon’s top job.Gordon Wyant was MLA for Saskatoon Northwest from 2010 to 2024 and was a Saskatoon Ward 5 City Councillor from 2003 to 2010. Prior to this, he was chair of the Saskatoon Public School Board. At a media event on Monday, he announced his retirement from provincial politics to pursue the mayor’s chair.“Ladies and gentlemen, our campaign will be built on three fundamental pillars, public safety, affordability and transparency. These pillars are embodied in our slogan, safe streets and smart spending. And these aren't just catchy phrases. They're the foundation of my vision for Saskatoon, and I know that you all share them,” Wyant said.“On affordability, last year, we experienced a nearly 12% effective increase in taxes, and that's unsustainable for families and unsustainable for businesses. We need to rethink the way City of Saskatoon budgets are set, and the parameters for our administration to meet when establishing their budgets.”The lawyer and former Attorney General for Saskatchewan said a competitive tax structure would help grow the city’s economy an would be possible through “careful planning and responsible management.”“Transparency at City Hall is our third pillar. Decisions made behind closed doors breed citizens, and we've seen a lot of that. We need to bring these discussions into the open and involve the community in all our processes,” Wyant explained.“I think there's an opportunity to make some changes to make it easier for public to engage with council. Far too often we hear of complaints from the public about the difficulty of expressing their concerns. We're going to fix that by making council more open and more accessible.”Saskatoon Pride followed Regina’s example by banning Sask Party MLAs from its Pride events over the Parental Rights Bill. Wyant, who placed fourth in the leadership race to replace Brad Wall in 2018, distanced himself from his party’s legislation. He said he hoped to be in the Pride parade June 22.“I said in my speech in the House, gender identity as a prohibited ground of discrimination is my proudest moment at the legislature. And you'll know I didn't vote on the legislation that the government had brought forward in the emergency session. I didn't vote for it, and I think that indicates the fact that I wasn't supportive of the legislation the way it was and the way it was brought forward,” Wyant said.“I have reached out, reached out to organizers of the Pride Parade. I'll be having conversations with them this week in terms of my participation, if it's their position that they don't want me to participate in the parade, I'll be very respectful of that. I hope they change their mind.“I've participated in pretty much every pride parade since I was on Saskatoon City Council, and I'm very proud of my attendance record and proud of my support for human rights when it comes to transgender individuals.”.Cynthia Block also announced her candidacy for mayor on Monday. The former journalist and graduate of the University of Saskatchewan has been a Ward 6 councillor since 2016.Block listed five priorities in a three-minute speech to announce her candidacy. They included modernizing of public transit, acting on reconciliation and inclusion, and revitalization of downtown.“First and foremost, we have to make sure we are minding the essentials. Of course, basic infrastructure, roads and sidewalks and good services for our city, and making sure that we are addressing safety in our community,” Block said.“Second, I think that we must focus on housing. It is urgently needed in our city. We are dealing with a crisis. We are dealing with a crisis in access to housing, we are dealing with a crisis in affordability, and as we all know, homelessness needs a lot of attention.”Saskatoon residents go to the polls Wednesday, November 13.
