Russ Wyatt removed from 7 committees and boards by city council amidst criminal allegations

Winnipeg City Council has voted to remove Russ Wyatt from seven committees and boards. This comes after Wyatt was arrested and charged with sexual assault and drugging a man.

Wyatt was at Thursday’s council meeting but decided not to take part in the debate or the vote, calling it a partisan political attack. 

“This council chamber is better than that, and I’d like to think that my colleagues can think of the rule of law, and that you know and that one is still presumed innocent, and that’s what’s at stake, that’s the issue here,” said Wyatt.

Wyatt addressed the move during council recess on Thursday, which will see him be removed from the Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development, along with 6 other boards and committees, including the Winnipeg Food Council, the Transcona Museum Board, and the Winnipeg Public Library Board.

“They argue that members of the public sit on these committees, and that’s why members of the public also walk down our sidewalks. We control our sidewalks, so maybe they should ban me from walking on sidewalks now, like at the end of the day, we either believe in the rule of law or we don’t. And I want to believe in the rule of law still in this country,” said Wyatt.

Mayor Scott Gillingham brought forward the motion at last week’s executive policy committee meeting. He recommended that Wyatt take a leave since the charges came to light. According to the Winnipeg Charter, council does not have the authority to suspend a member who is the subject of criminal allegations.

“It is a very serious matter,” said Mayor Gillingham. “The presumption of innocence remains, but this is something Council can do to remove him, rescind the committee appointments that he has, especially in areas where he’s on committees and boards with members of the public, so I take this very seriously.”

None of the charges against Wyatt have been proven in court.

“It frees my time up to be able to do a lot of stuff in my ward, knock on doors, talk to folks, we’ve got the ‘Hi neighbour festival’ coming up the first weekend of June. I’m excited about that. I’m always in the parade, and the pancake breakfast, and everything else. It frees me up to do a lot of time in the ward, so they’re doing me a great favour in that sense, so thank you very much,” said Wyatt.