Regina mayoral candidate wanted by police on assault charge

One of the eleven people with their names on the ballot to be Regina’s next mayor is also on the Saskatchewan RCMP’s list.

Nathaniel Hewton was wanted by police for an assault charge, according to RCMP.

The Mounties said the Southey detachment got a report on Oct. 16 about a man who’d assaulted a woman at Saskatchewan Beach, about 53 kilometres north of Regina.

Police described the woman’s injuries as “non-life threatening” and said Southey RCMP began looking for Hewton.

RCMP wouldn’t say any more about the incident, citing the woman’s privacy.

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Hewton and the other mayoral candidates made videos with Elections Regina as part of their campaigns.

In Hewton’s video, he said he was running to insist on an accountable government and that people who have never dealt with hardship in their lives shouldn’t be governing society.

According to Elections Regina, candidates running for mayor and council do not have to complete a criminal record check and having a criminal record does not affect their ability to run for office. Candidates do have to complete a criminal record check to run for school board trustee.

There is also nothing in The Local Government Elections Act that prohibits someone facing charges from running for mayor or councillor.

Elections Regina said it’s up to the candidates to review the eligibility requirements for office and to make sure they’re in compliance.

“We encourage voters to do their research on candidates running and make informed decisions on who they are voting for,” said the statement from Elections Regina.

On Wednesday evening, a debate was expected to be held between the mayoral candidates in Regina — Hewton was not expected to participate.