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After a heated exchange at a meeting Wednesday, Regina city council voted to have Coun. Dan LeBlanc removed from the board of Community & Social Impact Regina.
Eight councillors voted in favour of LeBlanc’s removal, while Coun. Shanon Zachidniak was absent. Other than LeBlanc himself, only Coun. Andrew Stevens voted to keep LeBlanc on the board.
In late January, Mayor Sandra Masters informed the city clerk that she would be submitting a notice of motion to council at its Jan. 26 meeting, asking councillors to consider removing LeBlanc from the inaugural community safety board.
LeBlanc was appointed to the board on Sept. 14.
The notice of motion was passed and the matter was put on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting.
The current relationship between LeBlanc and Masters could be described as a little strained.
In November, LeBlanc filed a lawsuit on behalf of Stevens and a concerned citizen against city manager Niki Anderson because she didn’t specifically set aside funding in the proposed budget for ending homelessness in the city.
The lawsuit was eventually thrown out in court, but it caused anger among council after Masters and other members of council threw their support behind Anderson.
Masters told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Thursday that although there were some LeBlanc supporters at Wednesday’s meeting, she feels more people are on her side than haters she has seen online.
“Coun. Stevens (challenged me and) he wanted me to produce evidence supportive of the motion (to have LeBlanc removed) because clearly folks showed up and they hadn’t heard … anybody saying that Coun. LeBlanc should be removed and that’s not my experience,” Masters said.
The mayor refused to provide the councillor with any evidence.
“I (chose to do that) because in part … the folks who are going about their day who want to remain out of the eagle eye of … the toxicity that happens on social media when they unload. So folks don’t feel safe to come forward, which is deeply unfortunate,” she said.
Stevens stopped asking Masters to show him the names of the people who supported the motion after she refused, the mayor said.
Stevens told city council on Wednesday he doesn’t feel the mayor’s reasoning for the motion justifies removing LeBlanc.
“Social media outrage is normal. We’ve all endured it. That’s not sufficient. We all get hate,” Stevens said. “I certainly hope that members of the public interrogate us and question our authority on all these items.”
LeBlanc addressed city council as well, saying he was initially planning on resigning after reading the motion because he knew at least seven councillors disagree with him on issues around homelessness and poverty.
“Then I spoke to folks in community, those on the front line of the (homelessness) crisis. They said this was not about Mayor Masters retaliating against me in some sort of a schoolyard tit for tat. This was about retaliation against them: ‘How dare (homeless) folks and their allies come here in December to demand justice?’ ” LeBlanc added.
“These communities indicated it was about them, not me. I wasn’t sure about that conclusion, but I take my lead from the community.”
LeBlanc said the last thing the homeless community needs is another white lawyer telling them they’re not being targeted in the ways they think and that we’re all in this together.
“Being an ally means listening,” he said. “A lead member of the Heritage community is handing out cookies. They read ‘BIPOC communities deserve to be heard and respected.’ That’s what for them is on the table in this debate.”
Masters says the city will now go into executive committee next week to see who wants to come forward from council to fill the vacant seat.
“The following council meeting, they will be appointed,” she said.
