NIPAWIN — Nipawin Mayor Rennie Harper has resigned after a two-month long code of conduct investigation initiated by Nipawin's town council.
The resignation was formally received on July 10, according to a statement from the town.
Harper told SASKTODAY.ca that she is appreciative of the opportunity to serve Nipawin for six and a half years. She said in her resignation letter that recent events had made it increasingly challenging to be effective in the role.
“It is therefore with a heavy heart that I have reached the difficult decision to resign as mayor. I believe that by stepping away from this situation, it will allow council to focus on the important work of serving our community."
The investigation was started at the end of May as the result of a complaint issued by Nipawin's council. It was conducted by the Alberta-based Bloom Centre for Municipal Education. Joel Cardinal, Nipawin's chief administrative officer, said it was was in relation to governance and organizational conduct. The town has not provided further details.
“The investigation has been concluded and was presented to council at [July 10's] meeting,” he said. “Given the resignation of the mayor just prior to the presentation of the investigation conclusions, this impacts the ability for the Town to share the information within a public manner.”
The Town of Nipawin has six months from the date of the resignation to schedule the byelection as per the Municipalities Act. Cardinal said a date has yet to be set.
Harper was first elected as mayor in 2016. In 2020, she was re-elected with 373 votes. Other candidates in that election were Brian Starkell, who received 316 votes, and Marlon Zacharias, who received 248 votes.
