Lorne Allan Kopelchuk (b. August 4, 1938) is a farmer and former political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. He represented Canora from 1986 to 1991 in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

as a Progressive Conservative. He was born in

Canora, Saskatchewan Canora is a town, located at the junction of highways No. 5 and 9 in east central Saskatchewan, about 50 km north of Yorkton. It is centrally located on the corners of four adjacent rural municipalities, including the RM of Good Lake. ...

, the son of Steven Kopelchuk and Susan Procyshen, and studied commerce at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. He farmed and worked as an office worker before entering politics. In 1961, he married Doris Samuels. Kopelchuk served in the Saskatchewan cabinet as Minister of Parks and Renewable Resources and as Minister of Northern Affairs. He was defeated by

Darrel Cunningham Darrel Cunningham (born January 23, 1948) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Sa ...

when he ran for reelection to the assembly in 1991. As part of an investigation into fraudulent use of communications allowances by Progressive Conservative members of the Saskatchewan legislature, Kopelchuk was charged with using a false expense claim to pay $1,568 for an electronic public address system. This expense could have legitimately been claimed against his constituency office allowance. In addition, the actual cost of the system was $1,005; the balance went to John Scraba, communications director for the Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative party. The PA system and podium were donated to the Town of Canora prior to the charges. The judge acquitted him, deciding that there was no evidence that Kopelchuk was aware of the misleading invoice. As of , Kopelchuk remains in Canora with his wife of 59 years. They have 4 daughters, 12 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

References

1938 births Living people Canadian people of Ukrainian descent People from Canora, Saskatchewan Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan MLAs {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub