Regina city council removes fossil fuel sponsorship ban amendment

After a long, tense session with presentations from many delegates, an amendment to the City of Regina’s sponsorship policy was withdrawn.

Ward 6 Coun. Dan LeBlanc, who brought the amendment forward at an executive committee meeting on Jan. 20, ultimately asked to have it deleted after public outcry over the past week.

LeBlanc said the city has a policy to become a renewable city by 2050, which was voted on in 2018, and it’s up to council to reach that goal.

He said while there is a lot of support to get the city to being more sustainable, the amendment wasn’t the way to do it. He said the city needs to build support for other movements when it comes to sustainability.

Ward 2 Coun. Bob Hawkins agreed with LeBlanc, and said the amendment could be in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He also said another portion of the amendment, which would stop oil and gas companies from donating to political campaigns, could also be in violation of the Charter.

Council unanimously voted to remove the amendment.

At the meeting earlier in the month, city council voted 7-4 in favour of amending the policy to no longer accept donations and sponsorship dollars from companies whose business is principally derived from the sale or production of fossil fuels. That would add those companies to a list that also includes marijuana dispensaries and the porn industry.

The sponsorship policy was drafted to ensure compliance with provincial and federal regulations, such as limits on alcohol and cannabis advertising.

Since the policy would be new, it’s unsure what the financial impacts would be by including the amendment. The goal is to bring in about $8 million to $10 million for the city and not being able to get money from fossil fuel companies would make it difficult to reach that amount.

The amendment drew backlash from people across the province, including Premier Scott Moe. Some councillors changed their position after the outcry.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the city heard from 19 of the 21 delegates who had submitted statements on the motion.

A majority of the speakers spoke out against the amendment, believing it “villainizes” those in the oil and gas industry.

Regina and District Chamber of Commerce CEO John Hopkins spoke out against the motion, saying the energy sector is vital to the province. Hopkins also believes there has been damage done to the reputation of the city due to the proposed amendment.

Dean Popil, CEO and managing partner of Lex Capital Management Inc., said the amendment was “shallow virtue signalling” and highlighted the work the energy sector has done to become more environmentally friendly.

Aina Kagis, a Regina resident in favour of the motion, said science shows society needs to begin to move away from fossil fuels. Kagis said this type of discussion was had years ago when it came to allowing tobacco companies to advertise with the city.

Council voted in favour of the original sponsorship policy.