Rift on Regina city council deepens as mayor, majority of councillors condemn lawsuit against city manager

A rift on Regina city council continued to grow Wednesday amidst a looming lawsuit over addressing homelessness in the city. 

Mayor Sandra Masters was joined by eight of the city's 10 councillors in backing a motion that condemned their two colleagues, and the lawsuit they have filed against city manager Niki Anderson. 

The motion also sought to "affirm and convey" confidence in Anderson. 

"I think as an employer, it's enormously important that our employee knows she has our confidence and that we want her to do the things that she was hired to do," Masters said after the council meeting. 

The lawsuit stems from a council vote earlier this year.

In June, council unanimously voted to direct city administration to figure out how much it would cost to end homelessness in the city and have that "clearly demarcated in a line item of its own" in the city's proposed 2023 budget, according to meeting minutes published on the city's website. 

In the preliminary budget, city administration provided the estimated figure of $122.5 million needed to implement a housing-first model to address homelessness, but did not include a recommendation to move forward, citing the high cost of the project to the city's residents. 

That prompted Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens and Florence Stratton, a Regina resident, to file a lawsuit against the office of the city manager on Nov. 22. 

They are being represented by Ward 6 Coun. Dan LeBlanc, who says the goal was not to target Anderson, who became the first woman to serve as city manager in Regina's history after starting the the job in November. 

Instead, LeBlanc said the lawsuit is trying to force city administration to follow council's directions. The lawsuit seeks a judicial order that would force administration to include an estimated $24.9 million in the proposed budget to end homelessness.

The figure is based on what councillors were told in preliminary estimates, LeBlanc said. 

LISTEN | Regina's mayor reacts to court action by her colleagues:

Anderson, who the city confirmed has retained outside legal counsel for this lawsuit, has yet to issue a statement on the matter. 

The lawsuit is scheduled to be heard by a Court of King's Bench judge in Regina on Tuesday, just a day before council will begin finalizing the budget. 

'Disappointed' by lawsuit: councillor

The motion debated at council on Wednesday initially faced an uphill battle to be heard at the meeting.

Unless it received unanimous approval, it would have had to be debated at a later date.

However, the decision by Stevens and LeBlanc to recuse themselves due to the obvious conflict of interest on the subject cleared the way for the motion to be discussed. 

Councillors took the opportunity to tear into the lawsuit. 

"This is a step backwards. I'm embarrassed to be a council member at this time," said Ward 7 Coun. Terina Nelson.

Ward 2 Coun. Bob Hawkins said the correct way to address the dispute was to bring it back in front of council and allow them to decide, rather than filing a lawsuit. 

"I'm disappointed, as a lawyer, that the courts had been drawn into what is essentially a political matter," Hawkins said.

The motion passed on Wednesday said the court action could be seen as calling into question the operational integrity and oversight of city council.

Masters said the lawsuit and its fallout will not effect how council operates, as proven by its productive meetings in the weeks since the suit was filed. 

"As to the relationships, I can't speak to folks' relationships," Masters said.