Weighill brought stability, says former mayor

Former Saskatoon mayor Don Atchison vividly recalls the impression left by his first encounter with police Chief Clive Weighill.

Weighill had applied for what may have been the least enviable police chief position in the country at the time — heading up Saskatoon’s beleaguered force — and came prepared for his interview with a PowerPoint presentation.

Atchison, who was chair of the board of police commissioners that hired Weighill in 2006, gave Weighill credit as a key figure in helping to restore the public’s shattered confidence in the police force. Weighill announced on Tuesday that he will retire in October.

“I don’t think people realize the change that occurred in the service was absolutely phenomenal,” Atchison said in an interview on Tuesday. “First of all, I think the chief tried desperately hard to bring the force together as one and tried to treat all the members fairly.”

Weighill took over the force in the wake of the 2004 Stonechild Inquiry, which found that a First Nations teen, Neil Stonechild, had been in police custody on the night he froze to death on the outskirts of Saskatoon.

Weighill brought needed stability to the role. Former chief Dave Scott was fired in 2001 and the board decided not to renew the contract of his successor, Russ Sabo, in 2005.

“If you look at police chiefs throughout Canada, their stays aren’t that long,” Atchison said of Weighill’s 11-year tenure.

Atchison, who became the city’s longest-serving mayor before losing the 2016 election to Charlie Clark, said he and Weighill worked together to make Saskatoon a safer community.

He said Weighill did a “wonderful job,” adding he never discussed operational matters with the chief. Weighill brought a lot of attributes to the role, Atchison said.

“He understood politicians. He understood what needed to be done.”

Weighill was the second highest paid city employee in 2016, earning $266,769.