14

Levi Thomson to Walter Scott 18 July 1907 [page 3 of 3]
18 July 1907



Credits:
SAB. Walter Scott Papers. Microfilm R-7.1. file IV.27.

15

Less than two years later, on 7 April 1909, the decision surrounding the university was made. The decision came down to a simple vote by the nine-member Board of Governors. The details of the vote were never made clear, except for that the location of the university was to be at Saskatoon. Discerning historian Michael Hayden determined that the vote ended up 5-4 in favour of Saskatoon, yet he also believed Thomson's appointment to the board to be insignificant, made only "[to] even out geographical representation." Historian James Pitsula takes contention with this claim, and using Thomson's ties to the Liberal party and Scott as evidence, suggests that Thomson's appointment was made in an effort to "swing the vote in Saskatoon's favor" , even though, at the time, "Thomson was rumored to have voted for Regina."

Later historical investigation proved that Thomson voted for Saskatoon, which begs the question why he voted in this way. Despite claims that his placement was made either out of a need to be representative or out of some politicking on the part of the Premier, Thomson argued that he voted for Saskatoon not out of some political patronage scheme, but "because [he] believed it to be in the best interests of the University and the Province". According to Thomson himself, he made the decision to vote for Saskatoon not as a political bargaining chip, or as a soldier of the Liberal party, or for any other reason but because he believed it was in the best interests of the province.

16

Walter Scott to Levi Thomson 23 July 1907 [page 1 of 2]
23 July 1907



Credits:
SAB. Walter Scott Papers. Microfilm R-7.1. file IV.27.

17

Walter Scott to Levi Thomson 23 July 1907 [page 2 of 2]
23 July 1907



Credits:
SAB. Walter Scott Papers. Microfilm R-7.1. file IV.27.

18

The decision to place the university in Saskatoon, however dismal it may have seemed for Regina, led to a decades-long fight for its own university. Raymond Blake, writing on the University of Saskatchewan's loss of university autonomy with the establishment of the University of Regina in 1974, notes that "[w]hat best serves the real or perceived needs of a single institution may not, in consequence, best serve the needs of the province". Though it may have been best for the institution of the university to remain autonomous and singular, it was best for the province to have two universities.

Though Thomson was unsuccessful in obtaining court for Wolseley, the loss of the court and the judicial system did not lead to the slow degradation of the community; in fact, the closure of the courthouse in 1909 established space for new institutions. Thus, the literal and tangible foundation laid by the judicial system allowed the community stability and sustainability not previously offered by the courthouse.