City of Quesnel seeks to dismiss mayor’s lawsuit over censuring [Video]

The City of Quesnel is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit from its mayor over his censuring and removal from city committees.

On April 30, city council voted unanimously to censure Ron Paull following reports that his wife had shared a book that challenges the harm of residential schools, and allegations he had recommended the book to other local elected officials. 

The mayor of the city in B.C.’s Cariboo region was removed from some committees and regional boards, and his travel and lobbying budgets were taken away.

In a petition filed in B.C. Supreme Court on May 29, Paull argued the actions taken against him were “unreasonable” and the city had “breached its duty of procedural fairness” owed to him. He asked the court to order his reinstatement to all board and committee positions. 

In a response on June 24, the city said its council’s actions were allowed under the Community Charter, the provincial legislation that governs all …