‘We don’t trust them:’ Masters on fracture in Regina city council

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters has opened up about mistrust sewn within the fabric of city council.

Masters told 980 CJME on Thursday there is a loss of trust based on what happened last year.

She said the councillors who voted against Coun. Shanon Zachidniak’s motion — which was supported by councillors Cheryl Stadnichuk, Andrew Stevens and Dan LeBlanc — to declare a homelessness emergency at Wednesday’s council meeting have concerns about those councillors.

“We don’t trust them not to try to ensnare council in some sort of gong show that happened at budget, (when there was) a lawsuit against a city manager,” she said.

“We’re looking at ways to continue to do the work that we’re doing, but there is some inherent mistrust there about the motives behind what they’re doing.”

In that comment, Masters referred to the lawsuit filed against city manager Niki Anderson by LeBlanc on behalf of Stevens for not including homelessness funding in the city’s proposed budget.

With regards to Wednesday’s council meeting, Masters told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Thursday a few people had to be kicked out because their outbursts violated the code of conduct within the room.

“Is it a concern? Yeah, I think it is,” she said of the outbursts. “I think that when people feel they can’t either come to watch or come present without being sworn at and whatnot, it should be a cause for concern.”

A slim 5-4 majority of councillors voted against allowing people to record council meetings on their personal devices.

“The notice that folks are given when they enter the chambers is they acknowledge they are being televised …,” she added. “People don’t have the same notice as it relates to being video-recorded on people’s public devices.”

Masters said it will be up to the city clerk to update the information on the notice making sure the public is aware that they could be recorded on personal devices.

980 CJME reached out to Zachidniak, Stadnichuk and LeBlanc for comment, but hadn’t heard back by the time of publication. A message on Stevens’ phone said he was out of the office.