“I am gratified by the decision of the Court. This has been a difficult experience for me and my family. I look forward to putting the matter behind me and moving forward.”

The statement released to Discover Weyburn by Wade Oberg, the former principal at Weyburn Comprehensive School, Tuesday morning, when asked about the decision from the Court of Queen’s Bench in Regina, which was in his favour.

Oberg had filed a lawsuit against the South East Cornerstone Public School Division last year after he had been demoted as principal at Weyburn Comprehensive School in 2017. 

In the ruling, Madam Justice Meghan R. McCreary stated Oberg was to be reinstated as principal of the school, and the matter is to not go back to the board. 

The SECPSD had demoted Oberg from his position after ruling he had engaged in professional misconduct during a volleyball tournament involving his daughter’s team in Saskatoon. The board stated he had a conflict of interest, as he was an assistant coach with the team, that he had used his authority inappropriately, he had failed to supervise the students and that he had damaged the reputation of the school division. 

Justice McCreary, in her ruling, stated the demotion was not reasonable, and the board had breached its duties by not providing a fair opportunity to Oberg to respond to the allegations, and by failing to provide sufficient reasons for the demotion. 

The ruling also awarded Oberg $8,000 for the costs of his application. 

Note: a previous version of this story incorrectly identified the role the Saskatchewan Professional Teacher's Regulatory Board had in the process.