Judge rejects Saskatoon mayoral candidate's lawsuit to halt housing accelerator changes
A judge has rejected a Saskatoon mayoral candidate’s bid for a court injunction on zoning changes required for the city to access federal housing accelerator funds.
Cary Tarasoff filed a statement of claim against the city on Friday, hoping to delay or halt zoning changes that would allow developers to build taller and higher-density residential buildings without a special permit. He claims the move could overtax the city’s aging infrastructure, like sewers, roadways and the landfill, and the federal government’s tight timelines to access funding leave little room for engineering assessments.
“They don't realize the devastation that this can cause and also the financial harm. Our taxes are going up leaps and bounds, and that's nothing compared to what's coming," he told CTV News on Monday.
In a fiat released Tuesday, King’s Bench Justice Natasha Crooks rejected his request, saying it would involve the court meddling with the affairs of a duly elected municipal government.
“The plaintiff appears to be asking the court to intervene and prevent a zoning decision from being made or a bylaw from being passed or enacted, but in his application references no authority that would permit him to pursue the injunctive relief he seeks,” Crooks wrote in the decision obtained by CTV News.
Tarasoff, a long-time vocal critic of city council, also has his hat in the ring for the mayoral race in November. He realized suing the city he hopes to run puts him in a weird position, but he told CTV News on Monday that he felt the need to act quickly.
“For the people that start to figure out what's going on, it'll be too late. I want to have already been fighting in their favor ahead of time."
Citing a 2002 Queen's Bench decision from a dispute between an organized hamlet and a rural municipality, Crooks says the appropriate place to dispute a lawful decision of city council is in the voting booth.
"This appears to be a disagreement by a voter with the direction being taken by city council. As stated by [Justice] Rothery J., the remedy is their vote at election time. The court will not involve itself with the affairs of a duly elected council unless it has acted illegally," she wrote.
"This application will not proceed."
The proposed zoning changes are the subject of a public hearing on Thursday at city hall. With close to 50 speakers signed up, it’s sure to be a lively debate.
-With files from Keenan Sorokan
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6944598.1719577885!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Debate-watchers in the Biden and Trump camps seem to agree on something. Biden had a bad night
'Oh, Joe.' That gasp, from patrons at a Chicago bar when U.S. President Joe Biden first stumbled verbally in his debate with Donald Trump, spoke for a lot of Americans on Thursday night.
BREAKING Ontario MPP removed from PC caucus over 'serious lapses in judgment'
Premier Doug Ford has removed a member of his caucus due to what he’s describing as 'serious lapses in judgment.' In a statement released Friday morning, the premier’s office said MPP Goldie Ghamari had been removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus 'effective immediately.'
Buying a car? Why you may have to pay more at some dealers if you use cash
It used to be cash was king and that you could get a better deal if you paid for a car in full, but now many dealers want you to finance your purchase so they can make more money.
What is going on with immigration in Canada? Here's what the data shows
Canada has welcomed more than 3.9 million new citizens since 2005, with nearly one third coming from India, the Philippines or China, according to a CTVNews.ca analysis.
Pope's top adviser, women who say they were abused by ex-Jesuit artist ask for mosaics to be removed
The scandal over a famous ex-Jesuit artist who is accused of psychologically, spiritually and sexually abusing adult women came to a head Friday after some of his alleged victims and the pope’s own anti-abuse adviser asked for his artworks not to be promoted or displayed.
Economy grew 0.3% in April, Statistics Canada reports
Canadian economic growth rebounded in April, but early indications suggested it failed to maintain the momentum into May.
Liberal caucus staying quiet after major byelection defeat that rattled party
Liberal campaign co-chair Terry Duguid insisted Thursday that his caucus is united behind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, even as the majority of elected Liberals remain silent on the prime minister's political future.
NEW Car thieves tried accessing Ontario transportation ministry database
One of Canada's largest police forces has knowledge of car thieves attempting to breach Ontario's Ministry of Transportation database, CTV News has learned.
Debate takeaways: Trump confident, even when wrong, Biden halting, even with facts on his side
Thursday’s U.S. presidential debate was a re-run that featured two candidates with a combined age of 159, but it went especially poorly for one of them, President Joe Biden.