Apr 27, 2024

High Prairie Recall Fails: Councillor Waikle Responds

Welcome to 'Municipal Affairs”, I'm your host, Chris Brown.

In a recent turn of events in High Prairie, Alberta, the anticipated recall effort against Mayor Brian Panasiuk and two councillors, Donna Deynaka and James Waikle has fallen short.

High Prairie's Chief Administrative Officer, Bill McKenna, confirmed the outcome, stating, "The Town of High Prairie did not receive any completed petitions as of the deadline Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at 10:00 a.m."

Consequently, the Mayor and the two councillors will continue their roles.

The recall initiatives, directed at removing these officials from office, failed to gather the required 1026 signatures per petition, as mandated by section 240.8(2) of the Municipal Government Act.

Despite grassroots efforts and community discontent, the threshold remained unmet, granting the Mayor, and the Two councillors a reprieve from potential dismissal.

This recent development marks the third unsuccessful or deemed unnecessary recall effort in the province within the past month.

Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam avoided a recall petition when the deadline passed without submissions, while in Donalda, Mayor Doug Brooker preemptively resigned before such measures could be initiated, rendering the recall unnecessary.

Since the inception of recall legislation in Alberta, instances of successful recalls have been rare, with only one notable case in the Village of Ryley, where Mayor Nik Lee was successfully removed from office.

We had the pleasure to sit down with High Prairie Councillor Waikle for a one-on-one interview moments after the announcement of the recall petition was made.

This is Municipal Affairs.

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