Councillor says Regina mayor choosing to 'retaliate' after lawsuit to address homelessness in city budget

A Regina city councillor says Mayor Sandra Masters is attempting to "retaliate" against him for not falling in line during last year's budget discussions.

"There's some, I think, internal messaging of if you don't play ball, if you don't side with the majority, we will do X and Y to limit your influence," said Ward 6 Coun. Dan LeBlanc in an interview on Tuesday.

Masters will enter a notice of motion during Wednesday's meeting of city council that asks council to reconsider its appointment of LeBlanc to the inaugural board of directors for Community and Social Impact Regina.

That's the official name for what council has previously called its Community Safety and Wellbeing Organization, which is meant to exist autonomously from the city with a mandate to co-ordinate "community and social impact strategies to support the well-being, health, safety, and social inclusion of residents in Regina."

LeBlanc was appointed to the board during a meeting on Sept. 14, 2022, and his term is not set to end until the end of 2023.

The mayor is remaining tight lipped about her reasons for the motion, which would bring LeBlanc's term to an end.

"I sit in a position as being the voice of council. And so I don't want to get out in front of them because that vote hasn't happened yet. So we'll wait and see how that goes tomorrow," she told media after Tuesday's meeting of Regina's Board of Police Commissioners.

LeBlanc said he believes the move is tied to his decision to represent Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens in a lawsuit brought against city manager Niki Anderson.

Stevens and another community member were attempting to compel Anderson to include a line item to end homelessness in the 2023 city budget.

LISTEN| Regina city hall hears impassioned speeches on homelessness during budget deliberations

Although a judge ruled against the lawsuit and subsequent efforts to get the motion included in the budget failed, the rift within council has failed to improve.

"The debate … genuinely has revealed a rift in council. I don't think it caused it, but it revealed it," LeBlanc said.

"I would call that a dividing line of those who want to talk about standing with vulnerable neighbours and those who actually are going to do it."

LeBlanc said it is ironic that his vocal support for ending homelessness may actually result in his removal from an organization that is meant to deal with social issues like homelessness. He said the motion didn't surprise him, but that he was frustrated that it shifts the conversation away from those who are truly suffering.

LeBlanc said he would continue to represent his ward rather than choosing to "horse-trade" with Masters on the issues he considers a priority. However, he said he believes differences on policy should not lead to punishment.

"We set this sort of precedent of we, in part, allow the mayor to hand-pick who will be on these committees and who will not. That's very dangerous," he said.

There's no guarantee the motion will be debated at Wednesday's council meeting. If any councillor votes against Masters's notice of motion, it will instead be discussed and voted upon at the council meeting on Feb. 8, 2023.

LeBlanc's appointment to the board was only possible because Ward 7 Coun. Terina Nelson withdrew her name from consideration.

That came after she made comments in January 2022 that critics said implied Indigenous men were sexual predators, and asked questions in June 2022 that were criticized for implying Indigenous people choose to be homeless.