Sask. NDP Leader Ryan Meili to step down, will remain as interim leader until party chooses a successor
CBC
Ryan Meili will announce he is resigning as Saskatchewan NDP leader on Friday morning, CBC News has learned.
Meili will remain as interim leader until the party chooses his replacement.
"I've been thinking about this for a while," Meili told CBC News in advance of his public announcement.
"I think it's time for a different voice."
Meili said he intends to remain in caucus as the MLA for Saskatoon Meewasin.
On Tuesday, the Saskatchewan Party's Jim Lemaigre won the Athabasca byelection, taking the seat the NDP had held since 1998.
NDP candidate Georgina Jolibiois was seen as the favourite, as a former MP and longtime mayor of La Loche.
Following a preliminary count of ballots, Lemaigre had 1,146 votes (51.4 per cent) of votes counted so far, while Jolibois had 900 votes (40.4 per cent).
Only 24 per cent of registered voters cast ballots in the byelection.
Meili said the result was not the reason for his decision but said it was "clarifying." He said losing the seat was "really disappointing."
He had been quiet on social media following the result, which fueled speculation about his future.
"I've been proud of the work I've been able to be a part of as leader and as part of this caucus the things that we've fought for access to health care, fixing problems in our classrooms, keeping jobs in Saskatchewan, investing in renewable power. These are things I really care about."
Meili said the pandemic played a role in the decision.
"It would be hard to describe this last period without discussing the pandemic and how central that has been to my role as leader of the opposition and the work we've had to do."
CBC is once again looking to make the holiday season kind in Windsor-Essex.
Acute Care Alberta has extended its contract for another year with a private surgical facility at the centre of probes into health procurement and contracting.
As food bank use continues to climb across the province, front-line workers in Thunder Bay, Ont., are working to improve both food security and education.
More ads could soon be coming to Toronto’s subway system.
The driver wanted in connection with a fatal hit and run on Highway 401 earlier this week has been identified, police say.
There are mixed feelings about the proposed Grays Bay road and port project, among people who live in nearby communities.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse and includes graphic content.
Provincial police in Lambton County have charged a 23-year-old man with second degree murder following a death investigation that began this past Saturday.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government is forming a working group to tackle what it calls systemic issues in the justice system, but answers or solutions could still be months away.
A woman has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death in a 2024 fatal hit and run in Truro, N.S., where the victim was dragged down the street, a case that went unsolved for more than six months.
A stream of people showing up to a brightly lit front porch, each holding up a bottle of wine, spirits, or beer.
Sona Lakhoyan Olivier has been excluded from Quebec’s Liberal caucus for the duration of an investigation led by the National Assembly’s ethics commissioner, the party announced Thursday.
The head of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association hopes a city plan to crack down on vacant properties leads to a transformation in his community.