Latest news with #NicoleSarauer
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Questions remain around resignation of Sask. Marshal after redacted documents provided
WATCH: The NDP are accusing the government of hiding the reason why a Sask. Marshal resigned earlier this year. Wayne Mantyka has more. The NDP's search for information about alleged misconduct by a Saskatchewan Marsal has come up blank after their request for documents came back with heavy redactions. 'Instead of releasing any information, the government completely redacted 290 pages of emails and documents. That's this,' NDP MLA Nicole Sarauer said on Thursday, holding the stack of documents. The inquiry was sparked by an allegation of misconduct made earlier this year against a provincial marshal. The NDP believe the incident took place in Saskatoon. 'You know, people in Saskatchewan talk. I have heard a lot of rumours about what this individual did. I don't know whether or not what I have heard is true but if what I've heard is true, it's not appropriate for me to say in front of a camera,' Sarauer said. The investigation was concluded with no release of information to the public. 'I am here today calling on the Minister of Justice, Policing, Corrections and Public Safety Tim McLeod and Legislative Secretary Michael Weger who will address media in Prince Albert later today to be transparent with the people of Saskatchewan and release the documents,' Sarauer continued. 'This pattern of secrecy and lack of public transparency is deeply troubling.' In response, the government said the Public Complaint Commission doesn't normally release that information. 'They do their internal investigation and report back to the agency responsible and they would have reported back to the head of the Sasktchewan Marshals which is Chief Marshal Rob Cameron,' Michael Weger, legislative secretary for Corrections, Policing, and Public Safety stated. They do their internal investigation and report back to the agency responsible and they would have reported back to the head of the Sasktchewan Marshals which is Chief Marshal Rob Cameron." The NDP Freedom of Information request was about incidents over the years involving the Marshal Service. Given the large volume of blank pages received, the Opposition is questioning whether it's dealing with one incident or many.
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Sask NDP calls on province to release nearly 300 pages of marshal misconduct complaints, investigations
The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the province to release a collection of documents outlining complaints and investigations into Saskatchewan Marshals Service after the Opposition party submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and got back nearly 300 pages of redacted emails and documents. The NDP had requested all documents related to allegations of misconduct or investigations into the marshals service from November 2022 to May 2025. " This pattern of secrecy and lack of transparency is deeply troubling," NDP MLA Nicole Sarauer said at a Thursday morning news conference. She said even the dates of the emails had been redacted. "That's a lot of documents, especially for a police force that wasn't even doing any on the ground work until this summer." The NDP is calling on Minister for Justice, Policing, Corrections and Public Safety Tim McLeod and Legislative Secretary Michael Weger to be "transparent" with the province and release the documents. The Opposition party said it has already written to the provincial ombudsman to ask for an investigation into the conduct of the marshals service. The NDP has also referred its concerns about the redacted records to the office of Saskatchewan's information and privacy commissioner. " The minister can keep trying to hide it, but the details of this scandal will come out. Folks talk in Saskatchewan," Sarauer said. Sarauer pointed to a complaint made in May, before the service was officially working, about an officer who resigned after the complaint was made. She asked what kind of vetting process happened before that person was hired. "The minister needs to clear the air, explain what happened and also explain what he has done since to ensure that this never happens again," Sarauer said. "It's not very often a police force receives a public complaint before even starting to work.… It really makes one wonder what this person did." Sarauer said it is still unclear from the documents if all 290 are regarding the marshal who has since resigned, or there are multiple complaints against the marshal service. "Decisions regarding Freedom of Information access requests are made internally by the permanent head of the organizations involved in the request, without the involvement of the elected," a spokesperson for the Government of Saskatchewan said in an email to CBC Thursday. It said that in this case that would be the chief marshal of the marshals service. The spokesperson said the NDP has attempted to pressure and dictate the decisions of not just one, but two oversight bodies, the Public Complaint Commission's (PCC) and the ombudsman. "This not only undermines the independence of these offices but sets a dangerous precedent of politicizing processes that are explicitly designed to be neutral and non-partisan," the email said. The PCC's investigation into the complaint involving the marshal service has been completed and has been provided to the service for its review and action, according to the province.
Global News
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Public Complaints Commission concludes investigation into Sask. Marshals conduct
A Saskatchewan Marshals Service (SMS) member has resigned after being placed on leave earlier this year. This comes as an investigation into allegations of misconduct was done by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC). In a statement to Global News, the SMS confirmed it has received and reviewed a report from the PCC, saying the service 'takes all allegations involving member conduct seriously.' The SMS confirmed one of its members was the subject of a complaint back in April, which the commission was investigating. Opposition NDP justice critic Nicole Sarauer is now calling on Justice Minister Tim McLeod to make the report available to the public. 'I think it's in the public interest that this information be made open,' Sarauer said. 'Minister McLeod needs to rebuild trust within this new Marshals service with the public and he can do that by being open and transparent and releasing the report.' Story continues below advertisement The Marshals Service is still a relatively new organization, only beginning operations in May after its first class of recruits were sworn in back in April. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In a statement, the provincial government said 'The PCC investigation into the complaint involving the Saskatchewan Marshal Service has been completed and, in accordance with the procedure established by The Police Act, 1990, has been provided to the Service for their review and action. As set out in The Police Act, 1990, the Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety does not direct the day-to-day operations of the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.' The statement continues to say, 'The PCC is an independent, civilian-led body. The Minister of Justice and Attorney General does not direct the day-to-day operations of the Commission. The PCC does not issue public reports at the end of its investigations. 'It is standard practice for the PCC to provide its internal investigation reports to the relevant police agency to carry out any disciplinary measures or public reporting at their discretion. Questions regarding the results of the investigation are best directed to the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.' The statement concludes by saying, 'The NDP should understand that it would be inappropriate to interfere with the independence of the PCC by politicizing the decision to release the findings of investigations, and they should apologize to the SMS and the PCC for disrespecting their dedicated service.' Story continues below advertisement
CBC
17-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Sask. government defends grounded water bomber as criticism mounts over wildfire response
A brand-new water bomber sat unused and idle at the La Ronge airport as wildfires raged nearby, destroying homes and businesses, according to Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP. NDP public safety critic Nicole Sarauer said the province took delivery of the multi-million dollar Conair Dash 8-Q400AT airtanker on May 30, according to flight records. "Since landing, the aircraft hasn't logged a single flight. It's been sitting there unused," Sarauer said. "The moment this plane arrived the government should have brought it into action dumping water on the fires burning in Saskatchewan's communities." The arrival of the new water bomber happened during one of one of the province's worst wildfire seasons in memory, and just days before homes and businesses in the La Ronge area. Sarauer said the plane sat idle and unused, with Premier Scott Moe seemingly unaware it had even arrived. She pointed to June 6, a week after the plane arrived, when Moe said during a daily Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) briefing that the plane was on its way and would be put to use as soon as it arrived and was ready. "It appears that Premier Scott Moe and the Sask Party government either weren't straight about the bomber or were completely asleep at the wheel during a crisis," Sarauer said. The delivery of the water bomber to the La Ronge airport was part of a planned upgrade to the province's fleet. Sarauer said the Conair plane itself was almost destroyed when wildfires closed in on the La Ronge airport. "The new air tanker was reportedly in danger and had to be physically pushed to get it out of the path of the flames." Province says training, safety rules delayed takeoff In an SPSA media availability Monday, Saskatchewan Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said the province couldn't use the aircraft right away because the pilots hadn't yet been certified to fly it. "This is not a situation where we had resources that were available that were left on the tarmac," McLeod said. He said the pilots already had simulator training, but are still required to train on the actual aircraft to comply with the Transport Canada regulations. "The operational decision was made not to remove those four pilots from active duty fighting fires, protecting our communities, so that they could train on the new plane, but rather to continue protecting our communities and saving lives," he said. McLeod said the new water bomber will be used this fire season, once required in-air training is completed. WATCH | Unused firefighting aircraft draws criticism from Sask. Opposition: Unused firefighting aircraft draws criticism from Sask. Opposition 1 hour ago Duration 2:29 Saskatchewan's official Opposition says key aircraft for fighting wildfires were left unused during recent efforts. Charlene Lavallee, president of the Association of Métis, Non-Status and Status Indians of Saskatchewan, said the government's response fell flat. "It was the absolute worst run evacuation I've seen in the history of Saskatchewan," she said. Lavallee, who previously worked with Saskatchewan's Northern Air Operations and is from La Ronge, said there were multiple planes grounded due to cracked wings and winter maintenance. "We've had two water bombers and two fire retardant planes and the Turbo Commander — which is your bird dog plane — that were all out of commission during the fires in northern Saskatchewan," Lavallee said. Lavellee said these issues could've been avoided. She said maintenance is scheduled months in advance, and if it had been completed when it was supposed to, the planes could've helped with battling wildfires, and even mitigated evacuations and damages.
