Bill Boyd retiring as Kindersley MLA

One of the province’s most controversial political figures is retiring, for what he describes as a need for “renewal” within the Saskatchewan Party ranks.

Kindersley MLA Bill Boyd is calling it quits after a decadeslong political career that started in 1991. He has spent the past year being followed by controversy as the minister responsible for the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) when a series of perplexing land deals were made.

That controversy dogged Boyd for months. The provincial auditor looked into the matter and found taxpayers ended up overpaying for the land, but wrote she found no evidence of conflict of interest concerning Boyd’s involvement.

Boyd said Tuesday he spoke to the RCMP about the GTH and that despite the controversy, “most of that issue is dealt with now” and he stands by his decisions.

“I believe there is nothing that was done inappropriate or anything wrong whatsoever, just as I spoke with the conflict of interest commissioner and the provincial auditor, who all came to the same conclusion,” he said. “I think that ultimately that will be the decision that will come as a result of any investigation that (the RCMP are) doing.”

Beyond the GTH deals, Boyd was also criticized for his handling of SaskPower while serving as the minister responsible for the Crown corporation when smart meters were first installed. They were paid for and installed in homes and businesses across the province before a few fires caused by the devices raised safety concerns. That prompted Boyd to have 105,000 of them removed at taxpayers’ expense.

“You can always have regrets, and I suppose all of us have them from time to time,” said Boyd. “I made decisions that I felt had to be made at various times. You know, you deal with the issues as they come along and I think that I dealt with them in the most forthright way that I possibly could.”

Controversies following Boyd culminated in him being left out of provincial cabinet last August, but there was a time when he was a powerful figure within Saskatchewan politics.

First elected as a Progressive Conservative (PC) MLA in 1991, he became the party’s leader three years later in the wake of the Tory fraud scandal.

His political fortunes started picking up in 1997 when he became a driving force in the formation of the Sask. Party. He took a brief political hiatus in 2002, returning in 2007 to be an MLA at the same time the party he helped start formed the government.

Boyd has been a central figure of the government ever since.

In a news release, Premier Brad Wall thanked Boyd for his role in founding the party.

“It’s no exaggeration to say if it wasn’t for Bill Boyd, there wouldn’t be a Saskatchewan Party,” Wall said.

You know, you deal with the issues as they come along and I think that I dealt with them in the most forthright way that I possibly could.