Saskatoon University MLA Eric Olauson has been removed from his position on the Meewasin Valley Authority board after an email encounter with a Saskatoon resident.

Heather Landine emailed Olauson on March 28 to express her concern for the government’s cuts to library funding.

She wrote she was joining the library-cuts protest on April 7 and asked Olauson to justify the government’s funding cuts. She hoped to see Olauson in attendance to address the protesters.

“There will be quite a few people showing up, as well as some media - I hope he can make it and justify these cuts to the group of constituents who will be attending,” Landine’s email read.

Maddie Fast, Olauson’s assistant, emailed Landine back.

Fast said she would pass on Landine’s concerns to Olauson.

Olauson replied to his assistant, but accidentally sent the reply to Landine.

“Research her in compass. Don't reply to her about that protest. I will once I know more about her. And it will be epic,” Olauson’s email read.

Compass is the Saskatchewan Party’s database of supporters.

“I was kind of upset that an elective official first had to look me up to make sure I was deserving of a response,” Landine said. “And the word ‘epic’ was condescending.”

Kathy Young, the Saskatchewan government’s chief of communications, called Olauson’s email exchange “inappropriate.”

“This was clearly an error in judgment by Mr. Olauson. It is not the practice of government MLAs to do any sort of background check on constituents before they reply to correspondence,” Young said, adding Olauson had been removed from his Meewasin Valley Authority position and instructed to apologize to Landine.

Landine said the apology was “disingenuous.”

Olauson was a Saskatoon city councillor prior to his provincial election win last year.

The email is the second time since the election he’s been in hot water with his government.

In August, he was asked by the premier’s office to take a break from social media and removed as chair of the municipal cooperation committee after he “liked” a Facebook post suggesting violence against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau supporters.