'This is a feminist issue': Letter condemns Regina mayor's comments on homelessness lawsuit

Amid a growing rift at Regina city hall, a group of community organizers have released a letter condemning Mayor Sandra Masters's response to a lawsuit last year that she described as "having tones of sexism." 

The signatures include more than 100 women and non-binary individuals who say they are pushing back against Masters's opposition to a lawsuit that attempted to force the city to include a motion to end homelessness in its proposed 2023 budget. 

"When you're homeless and you're a woman, you're more prone to be attacked and assaulted and you are not going to get the credibility that you have because of many other issues. So this is a feminist issue," said Mirtha Rivera, a board member at Carmichael Outreach.

READ | Letter to Mayor Sandra Masters

On Friday, Rivera was among five of the letters signatories gathered at city hall to deliver the letter to Masters's office.

While they were turned away at city hall's front desk, the letter has been released to the public. 

The City of Regina did not provide a response to the letter by publication time. 

Ending homelessness

On June 15, 2022, council unanimously passed a motion that directed city administration to include "full operational funding to solve homelessness throughout the city" through a housing-first model as its own line item in the proposed budget, according to meeting minutes published on the city's website. 

But when the preliminary budget was released there was no recommendation from administration that the city proceed with the motion. 

In response, Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens and concerned resident Florence Stratton brought a lawsuit against city manager Niki Anderson in an attempt to compel her office to include the recommendation. 

The pair were represented by Ward 6 Coun. Dan LeBlanc who is also a lawyer. 

Masters was swift to condemn the lawsuit. 

"If you're asking me personally, I think it's disgusting, I think that for the first female city manager there is tones of sexism in [the lawsuit]," Masters said during a post-council scrum on Nov. 23, 2022. 

The lawsuit would ultimately fail and council would not hold a vote to include funding to end homelessness in the final budget — despite the presentations of more than 50 people calling on them to take action. 

Friday's letter was only the latest in a series of responses to the lawsuit, which have included LeBlanc's removal from a board position by council and allegations of bullying and harassment being made public by Anderson. 

'Ending houselessness is feminist' 

The letter is signed by community residents as well as members or representatives of many organizations dedicated to ending homelessness in Regina, including the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry, Carmichael Outreach and the Regina & District Labour Council. 

"It is not sexist to expect that our elected officials remain accountable to their commitments," the letter reads. 

"Ending houselessness is feminist."

It was a sentiment echoed by those who were at city hall on Friday. 

The group said the letter was created and signed through grassroots organizing and is meant to serve as a message that there are a lot of women and non-binary individuals standing behind LeBlanc and Stevens. 

"This is about ensuring elected officials remain accountable to their commitments, but also just to show that there's a ton of community support behind councillors who are standing up for community and doing what the community is asking of them," said Alysia Johnson, the chair of the board of directors for Carmichael Outreach.