CBC Lite Sections News • Canada • Saskatchewan Marshals withhold details on misconduct investigation despite Sask. privacy commissioner's recommendation Alexander Quon | CBC News | Posted: April 16, 2026 11:00 AM | Last Updated: Just now Community safety minister says he only guides 'strategic direction' of province's newest police service Image | Saskatchewan Marshals Service Caption: The Saskatchewan Marshals Service released only 28 heavily redacted pages about a misconduct investigation Wednesday. (Trevor Bothorel/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab The province's community safety minister says he supports the Saskatchewan Marshals Service after it declined to release all documents about a misconduct investigation into one of the police service's former members. Michael Weger repeatedly told media Wednesday he would not weigh in on the decision not to release the documents, saying he guides the "strategic direction" of Saskatchewan's newest police service, not its day-to-day operations. Chief Marshal Rob Cameron and Deputy Chief Marshal Rich Lowen are in charge of the service, he said. "And they have 75 years of policing experience. So, we'll defer to them on what they choose to release and don't release," Weger said. The decision has outraged the Saskatchewan NDP, which says the public has a right to know what happened. Nicole Sarauer, the NDP's critic for policing, corrections and community safety, said the marshal service's decision is disappointing. "When you start to hide information, that erodes that level of credibility and trust," Sarauer said. The Saskatchewan NDP filed a freedom of information request in 2025, trying to learn why an employee of the marshals service was placed on leave before the program was even up and running. The unidentified employee later resigned. What the Opposition got back from the marshals was 290 pages of heavily redacted or completely withheld documents. The only new details revealed in the documents was that the Saskatoon Police Service and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team were somehow involved. Image | Michael Weger Caption: Community Safety Minister Michael Weger says the province will defer to the marshals 'on what they choose to release and don't release.' (Alexander Quon/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab The NDP appealed to the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner, who recommended the service release the documents because of the "considerable" public interest in the matter. "The public has a right to know and debate the outcome of allegations involving a marshal who is appointed to act in the public trust when allegations arise otherwise," Grace Hession David wrote in her report, released last month. The commissioner does not have the power to compel the release of the documents and can only issue a recommendation. The service released only 28 heavily redacted pages of a potential 290 on Wednesday. On Thursday evening, the Marshals Service provided a statement saying it had reviewed the recommendations. "As a police service, the [Saskatchewan Marshals Service] is committed to transparency and accountability, while protecting investigative integrity, individual privacy, and necessary confidentiality," the statement read. The service said it had "substantially accepted" the commissioner's recommendations but that certain information remains protected "in compliance with discretionary and mandatory exemptions." In David's report, the commissioner recommended the marshals service "reconsider" its reliance on the discretion exemption. WATCH | Sask. Marshals steadfast in refusal to release details of alleged misconduct : Media Video | Caption: A newly hired member of the Saskatchewan Marshals was accused of misconduct before the police force began operations in May 2025. The marshals and minister responsible insist details can’t be made public to protect police operations. Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. NDP MLA Hugh Gordon, who spent 24 years as a member of the RCMP, said the province deserves better. "Whether we're on duty or we're off duty, [police] have an obligation to the public to be accountable, to be honest and to be trustworthy, and those are standards above upholding the law," he said. "There is a higher standard that needs to be met here, and all we are asking for is the marshals to meet that very same standard." Image | Hugh Gordon Caption: Hugh Gordon, an NDP MLA, was a longtime RCMP officer. He says police 'have an obligation to the public to be accountable. (Alexander Quon/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab Weger repeatedly said Wednesday that he stood by the marshal service's decision. "We have to have transparency in government, but of course, there's some operations of a police service that can't be fully transparent," he said. The minister insisted he's focused on elevating the good stories about police officers. When asked whether the decision to withhold more information undermines those efforts, Weger said he wouldn't weigh in on releasing the records. * Privacy watchdog calls on province to unredact Sask. Marshal Service misconduct case * Sask. NDP calls on province to release nearly 300 pages on marshal misconduct complaint, investigation Gordon says the NDP will continue to call for the province to take action. "In no way am I looking to impugn the integrity of the men and women in uniform," he said. "In fact, if anything, I want to ensure that what happened with this marshal — and we believe it's a serious issue of misconduct — does not impugn the reputation of the marshals." More Stories Like This The related links below are generated automatically based on the story you’ve just read. Loading... CBC Lite is a low-bandwidth website. To see what's new, check out our release notes. For high quality images, media, comments, and other additional features visit the full version of this story. We and select advertising partners use trackers to collect some of your data in order to enhance your experience and to deliver personalized content and advertising. If you are not comfortable with the use of this information, please review your device and browser privacy settings before continuing your visit. Learn more about Online Tracking and Privacy Choices. * Corrections and Clarifications * Terms of Use * Reuse & Permission * Privacy * Accessibility * Contact a Newsroom * Submit Feedback * Lite Help Centre * Jobs * RSS CBC Lite version: 1.8.15. ©2026 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights reserved.