Former Saskatchewan Party MLA to announce mayoral run

Rob Norris won’t say the exact words just yet, but he’s expected to announce his formal bid for Saskatoon Mayor Thursday, June 25.

Norris says he’s ready to challenge current mayor Charlie Clark, if Clark decides he’s going to run again as well.

“We’re looking forward to formally announcing it’s time to get down to work, roll up my sleeves and really provide a very clear choice for people in Saskatoon about a way forward.”

While Norris hasn’t ever held a council seat, he says his nearly 10 years as an MLA serving in the Legislature have more than qualified him for the job, and he would bring a ‘wealth of experience’ to the position.

“During my time in cabinet especially, I’ll just simply say, there wasn’t a provincial dollar spent in this city that I didn’t know about and in some way help contribute to, and so I think I bring a really fresh perspective as it relates to city hall.”

While the details of his platform have yet to be announced, Norris says he’s going to focus on economic recovery and ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ for residents.

“We’re going to be focusing on ways to make sure that the city is safe for everyone, and of course we’ve gotta make sure that the city is even more fun for families.”

He adds that over the course of the next weeks and months, he’ll have a more detailed plan.

Back in late April, Norris put a halt to his mayoral plans. Now, he says he feels his campaign can be aligned with safety protocols, and at this point, he feels there’s a window to make his formal announcement.

The 2020 Saskatoon civic election takes place November 9.