Former Treaty Commissioner and Mayor of Saskatoon Cliff Wright passed away on Dec 9. Wright was treaty Commissioner from 1989-1996 and was a pivotal player in the development of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation urban reserve in Saskatoon and the signing of the Treaty Land Entitlement Agreement in 1992.

Wright will likely go down as one of Saskatoon’s best leaders. He served on Council for 22 years. He was first elected as an Alderman in 1966 and was elected Mayor in 1976. He served until 1988. Mayor Wright oversaw major changes in Saskatoon; the creation of the Meewasin Valley Authority, the Circle Drive North Bridge, the Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre and the current SaskTel Centre.

Harry Lafond and Cliff Wright at the signing of the Treaty land Entitlement Agreement.

“Mayor Wright led our city through some difficult times and some good times. But he never stopped believing that Saskatoon was a great city with enormous potential. He was a businessman, a politician but most of all he was a man of the people”, Mayor Atchison said.

His down home non-judgemental attitude and serious business sense made him an excellent fit for the role of Saskatchewan’s first Treaty Commissioner. “I got to work with this great man, Cliff Wright. I was a greenhorn working with the FSIN and he was Saskatchewan's first Treaty Commissioner,” said Winston McLean. “Under his leadership, his crew put together a report that helped Canada, Saskatchewan and dozens of First Nations come to the table to negotiate the largest Treaty based land claim in Canadian history. Because of his work the landscape of this province would never be the same, for example urban reserves, and thousands of First Nation lives got opportunities they may not have achieved. “

The impact of his leadership will continue for a long time in Saskatchewan.

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