Veteran Saskatoon city councillor Glen Penner dead at 82
Long-time city councillor and former Saskatchewan Liberal MLA Glen Penner died on Monday at Royal University Hospital after a short illness, according to a Saskatoon obituary.
Penner served on city council for over two decades in total. His first term in the role that was then-dubbed alderman was in 1972.
In 1975, Penner was elected as MLA in Saskatoon Eastview for the provincial Liberal party. He returned to civic politics in 1979. Most recently, Penner served as Ward 8 councillor from 2000 until 2012.
“I was very sad to hear that Glen Penner has passed away,” Mayor Charlie Clark tweeted on Wednesday.
“I was on City Council with Councillor Penner for his last two terms and through some pretty big debates. We didn’t always agree, but we had great discussions. He always took time to give me advice and hear my perspective as a young Councillor.”
Some of those debates parallel discussions today.
In 2011 the city faced a budget shortfall as fuel costs rose 30 per cent, year-over-year. City crews could only manage road repairs on a “worst-first” basis and councillors weighed their options on how to improve service levels — from finding cuts elsewhere to raising taxes.
Penner had other ideas on how to raise funding.
“It is significant enough that to do it on property tax alone isn’t going to be sufficient,” Penner said at a Sep. 2011 spending review.
“I think we need dedicated resources from the two senior levels of government in order to adequately deal with the problem.”
When people provide their tax dollars to the city, Penner said, they expect to see roadways improved.
Clark says Penner benefited from discussion with the other councillors and wasn’t afraid to change his mind.
“Councillor Penner had a calmness that came from experience and often helped bring the temperature down in debates,” said Clark.
A memorial for Penner takes place on June 27 at Saskatoon Funeral Home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.