CLIFF WRIGHT: 1927-2014
‘One of the pioneers of our success
as a modern city has died’
— Mayor Don Atchison
Cliff Wright, the first Saskatoon mayor born in the city, died Tuesday in the community he helped build. He was 87. “Cliff ’s heart was Saskatoon,” said former mayor Henry Dayday, who worked alongside Wright as a city councillor for 12 years.
“The city was an important part of his life. He treated it like he was running his own family.”
Wright was first elected mayor in 1976 and won three more elections after that, holding office until 1988. Only Wright, Dayday (19882000) and current mayor Don Atchison (2003-present) have won four mayoral elections in Saskatoon, and only Dayday has held the title of mayor as long.
“Until the very end, he did remarkably well. He had a wonderful life, so we’re quite proud of him,” his son Lorne Wright said in an interview. “He was a wonderful father and a great community builder. He really believed in giving.”
Wright was admitted to St. Paul’s hospital on Sunday and died Tuesday at 12:15 a.m. in palliative care. He was diagnosed with lung cancer eight years ago.
The City of Saskatoon has directed flags at civic facilities to be flown at half-staff until Wright’s funeral is held.
“He was a true pioneer in the way of the successes we’ve had in Saskatoon,” Atchison told reporters. “He was a true innovator. On top of that, he really was a mayor for the people.”
Atchison said Wright accomplished a lot as mayor, including getting the Circle Drive North bridge built and teaming with businessman Bill Hunter to build Saskatchewan Place, now called sasktel Centre.
Coun. Tiffany Paulsen said she considered Wright a mentor.
“He was the one who persuaded me to run for city council,” she said in an interview. “At the time, I thought it was a crazy idea. I was 27. He provided a lot of support and guidance.”
Wright was “the quintessential community and consensus builder” in and out of politics, Paulsen said.
“There’s not much in this city Cliff didn’t have a hand in influencing. He was very proud of the city and the people who live here, and that’s something to look up to.”
Wright lived in Saskatoon his entire life, attending Albert and Victoria public schools, Nutana Collegiate and the University of Saskatchewan before eventually becoming president and owner of what is now known as Wright Construction. He failed in a city council bid in 1965, but was elected the following year and served as alderman from 1967 to 1976. He and his wife Betty had three sons — Lorne, Jack and Don, and one daughter, Nancy Cuelenaere.
Former StarPhoenix columnist Gerry Klein said Wright had a “pay-as-you-go” philosophy when it came to spending on big projects, a product of his Depression-era upbringing.
“Before he would embark on a major project, he insisted that the city have a portion of the money in the bank to pay for it, which no other municipality did,” Klein said.
“That legacy really helped Saskatoon’s finances right up to today. It also contributed to a dearth of infrastructure in the 1990s because we weren’t building when we should have been. His philosophy was that you’d save up in the good times for these projects and when there’s a downturn in the economy, you go out and hire people to keep people working.”
The Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre, the Saskatoon Field House and Wanuskewin Heritage Park were constructed during Wright’s time on council, but he is perhaps best known for championing SaskPlace and for building it in the city’s north end instead of downtown.
In an interview in 2013, said he hoped that would not be considered his defining moment as mayor.
“There are so many things that go into making a community that selecting one thing and saying it’s a defining aspect — I would hope it’s not. Let me leave it at that,” he said.
He was a major supporter of bringing the Jeux Canada Games, the Labatt Brier and the Memorial Cup to Saskatoon, all in 1989.
Wright served as treaty commissioner from 1989 to 1993, as a board member at both City Hospital and Royal University Hospital, and as chairman of the Saskatoon Health Board. He was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1998, and received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 1999.