Eyebrows raise across the province at Regina executive committee decision

It’s not just some within Regina’s city limits with strong opinions about a recent executive committee decision at City Hall.

Many across the province have been left shaking their heads as well.

On Wednesday, Regina’s executive committee approved a motion to add companies primarily engaged in producing or using fossil fuels to a list of industries not allowed to sponsor things for the city, joining other industries like alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and pornography.

Weyburn Mayor Marcel Roy said as the mayor of an energy city, he’s appalled at the decision.

He said Saskatchewan is an energy province and with that kind of attitude against energy companies, the council would be going against communities like Estevan, Weyburn, Swift Current and Lloydminster where that’s the main industry.

“To put (energy) in the same category and saying they’re like the alcohol and tobacco and they should not be allowed to sponsor … is really a slap in the face to all the workers and all the people that make their living from it and work for it,” said Roy.

Roy applauds the strong stance Premier Scott Moe took in his scathing comments on the motion and Roy commended those Regina councillors who voted against it.

Roy said energy is the province’s livelihood in a sense, pointing out Saskatchewan gets millions in revenue and royalties from the energy industry.

“(Councillors who voted for the motion) are not thinking about what they’re doing (or) what they’re talking about,” said Roy.

One of the arguments made for the motion at the committee meeting was that Regina is working toward being a 100 per cent renewable city by 2050, but Roy said he doesn’t think that’s a realistic goal. He thinks Regina councillors are getting ahead of themselves with that idea.

The mayor of Unity, a small town southwest of the Battlefords, called in to Gormley on Thursday to share her opinion on the committee’s decision.

Sharon Del Frari spoke out in support of the oil and gas industry and said that companies turned down by Regina should do business in her town instead.

“As a matter of fact, I think I can positively speak for our council and the residents and say we would gladly relocate the (Co-op Refinery Complex from Regina) to Unity …,” she said.

“There is lots of prairie here, we’re in a good location (and) we have both railways going through town. We would gladly help them move it here and we would appreciate all the jobs and the industry so much.”

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark confirmed there are no such rules or regulations prohibiting fossil fuel producers from placing their logos on public parks and buildings within the city.

To his knowledge, Clark said no councillor is exploring those options, but he declined to weigh in on the topic further.

“That’s not a Saskatoon issue,” he said. “The City of Saskatoon has not and is not entertaining any regulation that’s similar to that.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Dominick Lucyk and 650 CKOM’s Keenan Sorokan