REGINA - Anyone thinking there would be a swift resolution to the Integrity Commissioner’s ethics investigation into two Regina councillors were disabused of that notion Wednesday.
Neither Councillor Dan LeBlanc nor to a lesser extent Councillor Andrew Stevens were in a mood for contrition in their responses to recommendations in Integrity Commissioner Angela Kruk’s report, during the council meeting at City Hall that afternoon.
The Integrity Commissioner's report had found the two councillors had violated the Code of Ethics bylaw by failing to act in the best interests of the municipality, and for failing to build and inspire the public's trust and confidence in local government. She had recommended a written apology to City Manager Niki Anderson and also a reprimand be imposed for their conduct in bringing a court action last November against Anderson for not including a homeless funding line item in the 2023 budget.
The lengthy discussion on the issue Wednesday ended with Mayor Sandra Masters asking for the matter to be tabled to an Executive Committee private session next week for further discussion, given the issues involved a personnel matter — notably, Anderson.
A motion was passed to table the issue which ensures there will be no final decision on the matter until the May 24 city council meeting.
The turn of events capped a dramatic council discussion on the issue of what to do about the recommendations in the report.
Right before discussion began both LeBlanc and Stevens recused themselves, but not before LeBlanc expressed concerns about Mayor Sandra Masters being part of the decision making, noting she had said the underlying action had tones of sexism and “so she has prejudged.”
“I disagree” said Masters, who did not recuse herself and continued in the chair.
Council then heard a long line of delegations on the issue with several, though not all of them, speaking in favor of Councillors LeBlanc and Stevens.
One of them, Florence Stratton, had been the co-applicant along side Stevens in the lawsuit against the city. She made it known that Stevens and LeBlanc should not be censured; instead, she said, they should be thanked for “standing up for democracy.”
When she sat down she drew applause from several in the gallery, which drew a swift rebuke from Mayor Masters who warned the applause was not allowed and that she would clear the room. This clapping happened a couple more times; on the third occasion, those who did applaud were removed from the meeting by the Commissionaire.
Council then heard remarks from LeBlanc and Stevens. In his presentation LeBlanc made it clear quickly that he was in no mood to offer apologies.
Instead, he was critical of the process, pointing out that council had an opportunity to “discipline two political opponents in the guise of neutrality,” and noted there was a risk:
“The tides could turn. Those chickens may come home to roost. While Regina elected a historically conservative council this time around, imagine the spectre of a largely progressive council. What political activity or belief might be outlawed under the precedent you make today… it’s a very dangerous game to discipline for political matters.”
Stevens similarly did not back down for fighting for the homeless issue, though he was a little more contrite than LeBlanc and more willing to offer an apology if directed to. He later also suggested getting a mediator involved.
Stevens and LeBlanc were also questioned at length by councillors on their actions, and there was considerable discussion about the potential penalties. Stevens later told reporters this discussion was “quite stimulating — real engagement about issues in the Chamber.”
“I actually enjoyed the back and forth. I am not enjoying the fact that we are kicking this down the road a little bit further.”
After the decision to table was made, both Stevens and LeBlanc expressed frustration to reporters.
“Man, I didn’t see that coming, the suspense is building. I really wanted this to be over with. If people are sincere let’s move on,” said Stevens.
He said “we now have a repeated airing of grievances, this is like Festivus,” of the move to defer a decision.
LeBlanc called it “ridiculous,” noting the issue had been discussed in private before.
“If you want to publicly whip Councillor Stevens and I just do that, just get on with it, make a decision, stand your ground, take a position, adopt a principle. I think it’s wild that nine people can’t do that after several hours of discussion,” said LeBlanc.
Following the meeting, City Manager Anderson spoke to reporters on the issue of an apology. Anderson said after reflecting on it she did not want an apology from LeBlanc or Stevens, but instead, she wanted to see them apologize to the public for what they had done.
“The lawsuit has been an unnecessary complication, I would argue it was a publicity stunt, and it has been detrimental to improving our community,” said Anderson.
