Quesnel, B.C., mayor wins lawsuit against city after residential school book controversy [Video]

The mayor of Quesnel in B.C.’s central Interior has won a lawsuit against the city after he was censured and removed from numerous committees, following a controversy over the distribution of a book accused of minimizing the impact of residential schools.

Mayor Ron Paull had sought a review of council’s actions against him last April, where he was accused of damaging relationships between the city and local First Nations.

The move followed reports that his wife had shared a book that challenges the harm of residential schools with community members, and allegations he had recommended it to other local elected officials in the city of around 23,000 people located 400 km north of Vancouver.

Paull argued that he was not given proper notice of the meeting where council stripped him of his official roles, and the staff motion that eventually saw him being censured on April 30 was unclear and didn’t have specific allegations against him.