There was a surprise in store for people expecting to hear Mayor Ian Hamilton give the state of the city address Tuesday at Western Development Museum.
Hamilton couldn’t make it because he was in surgery that morning at Battlefords Union Hospital.
Councillor Cathy Richardson, who gave the address in the mayor’s place, confirmed to reporters the mayor had recently been diagnosed with cancer.
“He was having surgery this morning. It’s very early stages of cancer,” said Richardson.
The type of cancer was not disclosed, but the prognosis was good.
Richardson said Hamilton was optimistic in an email he sent to her, in which he stated “I fully expect by noon today to be cancer free.”
The news came as a surprise to those who had seen Hamilton active in the community in recent days at various events, such as the Champions of Mental Health banquet Saturday.
Just the day before, Mayor Hamilton had been at a sod-turning ceremony at the North Killdeer subdivision development and all indications were that he would be at city council that evening.
But Richardson said the mayor was encouraged to take the night off.
“We kind of said to him, ‘you’re going under the knife in the morning, take this evening, be with your family.’”
Deputy Mayor Ray Fox who chaired the meeting Monday in his place.
It’s not clear how long the mayor will be recuperating, but Richardson expects Hamilton will return to full health.
“He’s very optimistic and full of hope and I’m sure he’ll be back in the chair leading us,” said Richardson. “But we certainly wish him the best
