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After charges against a Regina mayoral candidate were revealed, one man in the city is speaking out about his own run-in with Nathaniel Hewton.
Last week, it came out that Hewton was wanted by RCMP in relation to an assault charge at Saskatchewan Beach.
Now, Shylo Stevenson has come forward about the conviction lodged against Hewton last year for uttering threats against him and another person. Stevenson is a well-known advocate in Regina and is a director for the Comeback Society and Warriors of Hope.
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Stevenson said he and another person had gone to meet with Hewton last year to talk about possibly working together with their respective food programs. Hewton runs Soup after Dark, which helps to feed vulnerable people in the city during the winter months.
At first the meeting went well, but Stevenson said it turned volatile very quickly.
“He was very aggressive and there was no working together, it was his way or no way, and to the point where he was using gang references — like part of different agencies in the gang world — to intimidate us to sort of step out of the way and quit our programs and work under him,” said Stevenson.
He and the other person ended up going to the police, and Hewton was charged and convicted with uttering threats — he pleaded not guilty.
Hewton declined to give an interview, but a statement was given through Hewton’s group’s email from a person who said they were with his campaign team.
The statement confirmed the conviction, but maintains the allegations were fabricated. It claimed that it was Stevenson and the other person who turned on Hewton.
No criminal record checks for mayoral candidates
Stevenson said it’s difficult to come forward with something like this because it might seem slanderous.
“It’s in no way to derail his good work. And that’s where it’s hard, because he does feed a lot of people,” he said.
But Stevenson doesn’t believe that Hewton shouldn’t even be entertained for a position like mayor.
Stevenson said he was surprised to learn Hewton was a candidate, that he would have thought there’d be more requirements for something like that, such as a criminal record check or having to at least disclose a criminal record.
“I think that’s something that we should be moving more towards in Regina,” explained Stevenson.
Rules under the Local Government Elections Act don’t stop someone running for mayor or councillor if they are facing charges or have previous convictions.
A person running for school board trustee does have to go through a criminal record check in Regina.
Hewton’s representative says charged asked to be dropped
In the emailed statement, Hewton’s representative said Hewton hasn’t been contacted by any police service about the assault charge laid in mid-October. It said the person in question has asked that the charge against Hewton be dropped.
In regard to Hewton’s history, the representative wrote that anyone casting a ballot should be informed, but also said that someone running for mayor “does not necessitate a smear campaign.”
The statement said Hewton has paid his debt to society and has been open about his past if people asked. It said Hewton was doing everything he could for his own transformation, while at the same time trying to improve society.
In the statement, Hewton’s representative also pointed to other politicians who have a criminal history but were elected and carried on — Premier Scott Moe, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.
“Point being, for those trying to rehabilitate continually bringing up their past limits their ability to move forward. The whole adage: Don’t judge someone by their worst moment is valid here,” explained the statement.
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