The Saskatchewan government has ordered the removal of Rural Municipality of Sherwood Reeve Kevin Eberle after an inquiry found “serious conflicts of interest and violations of the public trust.”
The inquiry was launched in July after the government appointed Justice Ron Barclay to look into allegations surrounding the proposed Wascana Village development.
It found Eberle stood to earn more than $57 million over a 13-year span from selling land he owned to developer Great Prairie Development Corporation. The inquiry also concluded Eberle had attempted to exert influence on decisions surrounding the Wascana Village proposal.
In accordance with the Municipalities Act, the government has removed Eberle and appointed lawyer Neil Robertson as interim reeve.
Government Relations Minister Jim Reiter has also appointed an official administrator, Steven Schiefner, who will oversee the day-to-day operations of the RM.
“This is not a step any government would ever want to take, but the serious findings in the report require extraordinary action to ensure the best interests of Sherwood ratepayers are protected,” Reiter said in a news release Thursday.
“The inquiry findings reveal a number of serious breaches of the public trust by a municipal official and the Government of Saskatchewan has taken the necessary steps to restore this trust.”
A byelection will be held in October to fill the reeve's vacant seat.
Announced in May 2013, the proposed Wascana Village development included plans for a new residential community that could accommodate an estimated 14,000 people on 736 acres of land just southeast of Regina.
