A Saskatoon man convicted of sexual offences says he’s back in the race for a Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools trustee position.

Denis Hall, who announced his withdrawal from the race last week following extensive media coverage of his 1981 convictions, says he’s decided to continue his candidacy.

He said in a statement he’s still running because his name cannot be removed from the ballot at this point and because he and his family have received “a large number of supportive calls, emails and in-person contacts” over the past week.

He also said he received an apology from at least one media outlet.

Hall was convicted of sexual offences in 1981. According to court documents, he pleaded guilty and was convicted of two charges relating to him having sex with girls between the ages of 14 and 16 and two charges of indecent assault on females.

The guilty plea was related to actions during his time as the coach of a girls’ basketball team sponsored by a Regina church in the 1970s, he said during his statement of withdrawal last week.

He served one year in the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre following the conviction and received a pardon for the offences in 1994.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon issued a statement early last week, saying officials were concerned about Hall running and that his convictions would bar him from working with vulnerable people in the diocese.

Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools board also commented, stating the division cannot prevent him from running because he is a qualified candidate.

“Mr. Hall qualifies as a candidate under the Local Government Elections Act, 2015. The school division has no legal recourse and is bound by the legislation,” a statement from the school division read.

“We are aware of Mr. Hall’s criminal convictions, and we have taken steps over the years to prevent him and his organization, YAS, from having access to students and our buildings. We will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of our students in the future.”

Hall’s name remained on the ballot following his departure announcement last week because, according to the city election’s returning officer, he missed the deadline to withdraw. Advanced polls had already started and, thus, Hall’s name could not be removed, the returning officer said.

Hall ran for the same trustee position in 2003, but was unsuccessful.

--- with files from CTV Saskatoon’s Angelina Irinici