Mayor Linnsie Clark listens to debate at city council in a 2023 file photo. Clark says she has filed a court application for judicial review of sanctions placed on her by city council.--news file photo
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A court application to review and potentially reverse sanctions placed on Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark has now been filed, according to Clark.
She told supporters on March 27 that she planned to ask for a judicial review of a council decision to limit her power and cut her salary for breaching the municipality’s council code of conduct bylaw.
The application was filed May 17 at the Calgary Court Centre, Clark told the News on Wednesday.
There is no set schedule for when Court of King’s Bench will hear the application, though Clark has said she hopes the request will be expedited and potentially heard this summer or fall considering the proximity to the fall 2025 election.
The current list of reviews shows some cases filed in 2022 are now being scheduled to be heard in mid-2025.
Judicial reviews are available to parties aggrieved by decisions of municipal government or quasi-judicial bodies, such as the Alberta Labour Board, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner or municipal appeal boards.
They do not involve “re-trying” an issue, but will determine if proper process was completed, and if decisions are reasonable.
In the specific case, Clark has said a decision by councillors to limit her interactions with staff, removing her as the chair of council meetings, and reducing her pay in half was “shocking and disproportionate.”
A report by an outside law firm found she breached the code of conduct during questioning of city manager Ann Mitchell last August.
The City of Medicine Hat, which is the respondent in the application for judicial review, has yet to file position.
