Frequently Asked Questions: Mayor’s Federal Candidacy

Yes. A municipal elected official may continue to serve while running for federal or provincial office.

During election campaigns, elected officials often take a leave from some or all of their regular duties to avoid conflicts and to clearly separate their public responsibilities from campaign activities.

The City has Deputy Mayor appointments in place to support Council business when needed.

City services and Council business will continue as usual.

No. City money, staff time, equipment and other City resources are used for City business. They are not used for the federal campaign.

Mayor Kienle will take an unpaid leave of absence during his campaign to clearly separate his responsibilities as Mayor from his federal campaign activities.

City communications will continue to focus on City business and municipal services.

The recent trip to Ottawa was the second annual Saskatchewan delegation focused on municipal priorities. Aaron Kienle attended as Mayor of Yorkton, along with other Saskatchewan municipal leaders and representatives from SUMA and SARM.

The delegation was organized by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Government Relations to meet with federal officials. While in Ottawa, the Mayor also took part in Yorkton-specific meetings about City priorities, including the Water Pollution Control Plant renewal.

No. The recent funding announcements are not connected to Aaron Kienle’s federal candidacy. These announcements are connected to ongoing advocacy work by the City and other partners that began well before the federal candidacy was announced. This work takes time and involves many steps, especially for large and complex projects.

Recent announcements include funding for Phase 1 of Yorkton’s Water Pollution Control Plant Renewal Project on October 13, as well as a separate October 16 announcement of more than $5.6 million in combined housing funding involving Yorkton Parkland Housing Society and Yellow Quill First Nation.

The City will continue advocating for Yorkton and working to make sure our community’s priorities are heard.

If the Mayor leaves his position with the City, Yorkton would hold a byelection for Mayor, as required by the Cities Act.

City services and Council business would continue as usual during this process.

During the federal campaign period, comments will be turned off on City social media channels.

This is a temporary step to keep City social media focused on City information and separate from the federal campaign.

Residents can still contact the City directly with questions, concerns or feedback about City services.

Questions about City business can be directed to the City of Yorkton.

Questions about Aaron Kienle’s federal campaign or political positions should be directed to the campaign.