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Town council votes to remove Tanu Evans

The Town of Athabasca's council passed a motion that Coun. Tanu Evans is to resign by the next meeting or administration will start an application to the Court of Queen's Bench to disqualify him. At council's regular meeting Oct. 4, Coun.
Coun. Tim Verhaeghe made a motion, asking Coun. Tanu Evans to resign by Oct. 18 or administration will start an application to the Court of Queen’s Bench for
Coun. Tim Verhaeghe made a motion, asking Coun. Tanu Evans to resign by Oct. 18 or administration will start an application to the Court of Queen’s Bench for disqualification. The motion passed.

The Town of Athabasca's council passed a motion that Coun. Tanu Evans is to resign by the next meeting or administration will start an application to the Court of Queen's Bench to disqualify him.

At council's regular meeting Oct. 4, Coun. Tim Verhaeghe made the motion, asking Evans to resign by Oct. 18 or administration will start an application to the Court of Queen's Bench for disqualification.

Coun. Steve Schafer, Mayor Roger Morrill and Verhaeghe voted for the motion. Coun. Shelly Gurba and Evans voted against it.

Verhaeghe stated that Evans contravened Section 174 of the Municipal Government Act.

Verhaeghe wrote in the agenda package that Evans walked out of the council meeting Sept. 20 while Verhaeghe was reading a motion, and mentioned a quote reported in the Sept. 27 edition of the Advocate.

“If they're going to behave like children, I'm just going to leave, ” Evans told the Advocate in an interview after the Sept. 20 meeting. “It wasn't pre-planned or anything, like some of the comments on Facebook are suggesting … Sometimes you have to let your siblings fight it out, and I'm not getting involved anymore. I made that mistake with the first motion, and again, it would have passed with or without my support. And I'm not going to make that mistake again. ”

The motion Verhaeghe had been reading was to ask Coun. Nichole Adams to resign or administration was to begin the disqualification process against her, which passed.

Attending the Oct. 5 meeting via teleconference, Coun. Evans pointed out that Section 174 states a councillor must vote on a motion if they are “present ” unless they are excused due to a pecuniary interest or they have not been present at any of the public discussion.

Evans also said that according to the official minutes to the Sept. 20 meeting - approved by council - he left before the motion was on the table.

Moreover, Evans added that he left the meeting because Verhaeghe's motion made him feel “physically ill. ”

“I left the meeting because your motion - or at least the brief wording of what I heard, as you did state the motion you would be making while we were in camera - made me feel physically ill, ” he said. “Thus, I left council chambers for health reasons. ”

“OK, well, I take that to mean that you didn't want to vote on my motion, ” Verhaeghe replied.

“No, I left for health reasons, ” Evans said, pointing out that there is a Member of Parliament in the news going through depression, noting that she has had to leave some meetings as well for her own personal health.

“So because this infighting has a toxicity that keeps coming from your side of the table is making me feel so ill, I've stopped putting up with it, and I will leave, ” he added. “And I am perfectly within my rights to do so, because last time I checked there's nothing in the MGA about shackles, and requiring town councillors to sit in their chairs for the full meeting and not leave. ”

Coun. Shelly Gurba pointed out that she and Schafer had violated the same section at special council meeting April 21 when there was a motion on the table. She said every councillor at the table has walked out of council meetings, and motions had been made after they left.

“To disqualify one person because of it, when we've all done it, I think that's just wrong, ” she said.

For more on the story - including details about the discussion over whether Evans should vote for the motion - pick up the next edition of the Athabasca Advocate.

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