It was an evening of friction within the walls of Regina city hall Wednesday evening, as homeless advocates were forced to leave by Mayor Sandra Masters and city council.
“You can escort the balance out of the gallery,” Masters said to security, after cheering erupted from advocates agreeing with statements from councilors.
Protesters were escorted out of the building by Regina police, after some of them repeatedly interrupted council during a debate over the fates of Ward 6 Coun. Dan LeBlanc and Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens.
The two councilors were involved in a lawsuit, which centered around LeBlanc and Stevens’ belief that city manager Niki Anderson and her office withheld estimates for funding to end homelessness in the city’s proposed budget.
The lawsuit called for a line item describing the cost of ending homelessness to be added to the 2023 city budget.
LeBlanc and Stevens believed the decision had been unanimously supported by council in a motion in June 2022.
Masters has called the lawsuit disgusting and claimed it contained tones of sexism.
Despite a 45-minute interruption from protesters, council determined they would accept a report from integrity commissioner Angela Kruk, who determined LeBlanc and Stevens’ lawsuit against Anderson violated council’s code of ethics bylaw.
“The report from the integrity commissioner did not find any evidence of harassment,” said Ward 1 councilor Cheryl Stadnichuk. “So I just find by having it linked in this these recommendations, it is as if we are implying that this was a harassment issue.”
The integrity commissioner stated that the councillors failed to serve their constituents in a conscientious and diligent manner, to act in the best interests of the municipality, and to build and inspire the public’s trust and confidence in local government.
For those who were kicked out of city hall, it was a moment of anger.
“As a 23-year-old woman who has been born and raised in Regina, I am not allowed the right to speak, I’m not allowed to be heard,” said homeless advocate Payton Byrne, who was there in support of LeBlanc and Stevens. “I am not allowed the right to participate in a democracy.”
“I feel awful,” said advocate Meadow Wels-Goudie. “I feel like I don’t have a place in democracy as a citizen who lives in what I thought was a democracy.”
In response, Masters said asking people to leave was the only option.
“Any sort of disruptions need to be dealt with, and you’ll have seen me do it before,” Masters explained. “In this particular instance, they were clustered, and all were quite vocal or clapping. They had been warned and so they were removed.”
The altercation comes as homeless protests are taking place outside the front door of city hall.
A tent camp has been set up since June 17, marking the anniversary of council’s motion to end homelessness.
LeBlanc said the encampment will help bring a new sense of understanding to many councilors on homelessness. Something he said he and Stevens see on a daily basis.
“I think what it does is it challenges us to live with the reality of our policy decisions,” he said.
Despite admitting that the encampment is an issue, Masters would not comment on what could be done to bring an immediate end to the gathering.
“I can’t tell you what to do about it, and I would challenge you to find someone to tell you what to do about it,” she said.