Whistleblowers suffer reprisals. Wrongdoers carry on with impunity.
John Danilak is one of a small group of Whistleblowers who identified wrongdoing including tax inequities, tax evasion and lottery regulation violations by an agent of the Saskatchewan government. His reward was years of court actions in which he self-represented against a government funded, government supported Regional Park Authority. In 2022 the court directed him to sell his cottage, which he had owned for over 30 years, or have it default to the Park Authority. He sold.
Not content with this outcome, the Park Authority dragged Mr. Danilak back to court in December 2023 requesting a judicial clarification of the 2022 decision. A second hearing in January 2024 resulted in dismissal of the clarification action. In spite of that outcome, the Park Authority immediately took inappropriate action and seized the property from the new owner using the 2022 Writ that was never actioned. The new owner is not respondent to that Writ order nor to any of the multiple court actions.
SaskPower, another government agency, is now threatening Mr. Danilak with collections on a bill that became the responsibility of the Park Authority when they seized the property eight months ago in February.
Below is Mr. Danilak's response to Minister Responsible for Crown Corporations, Dustin Duncan, and SaskPower President and CEO, Rupen Pandya:
October 4, 2024
RE: Cabin 27 at Suffern Lake Regional Park (DCA SaskPower client file [redacted])
Good day Mr. Pandya and Minister Duncan,
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This communication is to do with Suffern Lake Regional Park, numerous lawsuits filed against me and your current threatening efforts regarding an outstanding bill for electricity for a cottage located in Suffern Lake Regional Park.
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The lawsuits noted above were all initiated by Suffern Lake Regional Park Authority who was the chosen a surrogate for the Saskatchewan government and numerous of its agencies and agents in the contrived and abusive use of the courts for the purpose of hiding their collective incompetencies and ill intentions.
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These court efforts officially began in 2019 although I received the initial notice of Writ of Possession action in July 2018. Conditions stated by Justice Lyle Zuk in his 2022 Fiat SKQB 230 of 2021, directed me to sell my property at Suffern Lake within 180 days or it would be subject to the Writ action granting it to the Applicant, the Suffern Lake Regional Park Authority. I complied and sold on October 16, 2022.
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Not satisfied with that outcome, Suffern Lake Regional Park Authority dragged me back to court in December 2023 “seeking clarity” of Justice Zuk’s 2022 decision. Their efforts were finally dismissed in January 2024, almost 6 years after I was first served notice. Throughout that entire time, I faced ongoing misuse of the Saskatchewan justice system, harassed, defamed and denied reasonable opportunity to enjoy and use the property as I saw fit.
I maintained the cottage through January 2024 primarily to keep it rodent free and to prevent freezing of infrastructure such as sewage and well components for the acknowledged owner, my granddaughter.
The Park Authority consistently refused to grant the new owner a lot lease and seized the property on February 8, 2024. The Writ of Possession actioned was the one issued in May of 2022 naming me and my former partner, Joanna Ritchot as Respondent. It is the same document Sheriffs refused to enforce in 2023 after learning of the acknowledged sale. The new owner was not named as Respondent.
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As of February 8, 2024, the Park Authority has held care and control of the property, and I have been informed they have since resold it.
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Now another agent of Sask Government is preparing to sue me yet again for an outstanding power bill for electricity used to keep the Park’s property viable while I endured their ongoing abuses including denial of access.
Minister Duncan is very familiar with the background of Suffern Lake issues. In 2020 concerns of local assessment and taxation manipulation were brought to the Premier and Cabinet’s attention when Mr. Duncan served as Environment Minister. These concerns were acknowledged as valid and requiring correction in high-level communications from Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency CEO Irwin Blank on February 21, 2020.
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Neither can SaskPower claim ignorance of these circumstances. Another cottage owner also faced billing issue threats in 2023. She contacted SaskPower and former Minister Responsible for SaskPower, Don Morgan.
Coincidentally the collection threats stopped following receipt of her correspondence and Minister Morgan announced his retirement plans within days. Like her, I am no longer the owner.
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This is not just a SaskPower issue. As previously noted, Suffern Lake Regional Park Authority, an Other Legislated Entity created and funded by the Government of Saskatchewan and public tax dollars, has performed the role of surrogate to hide the incompetence and wrongdoing of itself and many other government entities. That list includes Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority; Water Security Agency; Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency; The RM’s of Manitou Lake, Senlac and Round Valley plus the Village of Senlac; Saskatchewan Regional Parks Association; and all the government ministries holding legislated oversight most notably the Ministries of Parks Culture and Sport, Environment, Government Relations and Justice.
The vindictiveness of the Government of Saskatchewan is profound. I thought I had nothing left to lose from this long, unnecessary legal battle but here I am – facing yet another legal action.
So be it. Let’s see where this new misadventure takes us all.
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John Danilak
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CC:
Minister Laura Ross, Parks, Culture and Sport
Minister Christine Tell, Environment
Minister Don McMorris, Government Relations
Minister Bronwyn Eyre, Justice
Executive Director Katrina Irving, Saskatchewan Regional Parks Association
CEO Susan Ross, Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Agency
David Marit, Minister responsible for Water Security Agency
CEO Betty Rogers, Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency
RM 411 Senlac
RM 442 Manitou Lake
RM 410 Round Valley
Village of Senlac