The Spruce Grove Gun Club (SGGC) has begun a defamation lawsuit, by filing a statement of claim, against Parkland County Mayor Rod Shaigec.

The statement of claim, which was filed on July 13 at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton, is centred on comments Shaigec allegedly made about another lawsuit against the SGGC. Darren and Natasha Degeer, who owned a home downrange from the SGGC, sued the gun club in 2014 after finding a bullet lodged in the wall of their house. The Degeers eventually dropped their case against the SGGC and it was never legally established that the bullet lodged in their house came from the SGGC.

According to Bill Newton, a spokesperson for the SGGC, the new defamation suit is in response to an email the SGGC says that Shaigec sent to a county resident implying that the bullet that hit the Degeers’ house had in fact come from the SGGC.

“(Shaigec wrote that) the bullet that hit the Degeer’s home was fired from a semi-automatic firearm and that semi-automatic firearms can only be fired on a range like (the SGGC’s range,) legally,” Newton said. “His comment that semi-automatic firearms can only be used on a range — that’s completely inaccurate. Guys can hunt deer with semi-automatic rifles, and do, so why (Mayor Shaigec) would say that, I don’t know, but it certainly is, in our mind, defamatory.”

Shaigec did not respond to interview requests by press deadline.

The lawsuit was filed just days after Parkland County council took the first steps toward enacting a bylaw amendment that would jeopardize the SGGC. On July 11 council voted 5-2 in favour of the first reading of a Land Use Bylaw amendment that would prohibit outdoor shooting ranges in land zoned as country residential. The property where SGGC has operated since the early seventies is currently zoned as country residential.

At the Parkland County council meeting on July 11, nearly 20 members of the public made statements to council about the bylaw amendment, including Greg Zederayko, a member of the SGGC who asked Shaigec to “recuse himself” from voting on the amendment.

“I believe, as do many others, that the mayor has demonstrated a longstanding bias toward the SGGC, (and) has already made up his mind that the council should amend the bylaw as presented,” Zederayko said. “It’s alleged that in 2013 the mayor told them and other residents that the County would not renew the (SGGC’s) development permit once it expired in June 2014. As we know, the mayor and council are not entitled to input as to whether or not a development permit should be renewed.”

Shaigec responded immediately to Zederayko’s accusations.

“I will not recuse myself. I have demonstrated in my seven years of public service that I consider the facts from all parties when deliberating any matter that comes before council, and I will do so with this particular issue that’s before council for debate and discussion. I will do so without prejudice,” Shaigec said. “I can state unequivocally, for the record, that I did not make, nor did any council member, make any statement to any member of the public or the (SGGC) that I would direct, or any council member would ensure, that a development permit would not be issued.”

Shaigec has until Aug. 2 to file a statement of defence, or a demand for notice, in response or he risks automatically losing the lawsuit..

jwray@postmedia.com