Gallery at Regina city council meeting escorted out by police

Police paid a visit to Henry Baker Hall on Wednesday night when some members of the public refused to leave a city council meeting.

That occurred after Mayor Sandra Masters called on the commissionaires to clear the gallery after multiple interruptions during the meeting.

There was an outburst from one individual who was escorted out by a commissionaire.

“A group of other individuals had been warned a couple of times that if they continued talking and calling out, that they would be asked to leave,” Masters told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Thursday.

An eruption from the audience occurred when the person was escorted out by the commissionaire. Masters then called on the commissionaire to remove everyone from the hall.

Council recessed while the gallery was cleared.

Masters confirmed she felt the audience was heckling her and other council members.

“I understand that the commissionaire had asked and they refused to leave, and so (they) were warned that the commissionaire would call the police. And they refused to leave, so the commissionaire called the police,” said Masters.

It all occurred during the integrity commissioner investigation report considering punishment for Councillors Andrew Stevens and Dan LeBlanc for filing a court application against city manager Niki Anderson. The application was filed last November against Anderson because there wasn’t any funding to tackle homelessness in the city’s proposed budget.

The application was tossed out of court in December.

Masters said she wasn’t sure what led to Wednesday’s outburst, but some of the people involved were among those who set up tents on the front lawn of City Hall to protest homelessness in Regina.

Members of the gallery were walked out of the building by police. Only council members and others involved in the meeting were allowed back inside when the meeting resumed.

Stevens and Leblanc didn’t receive any punishment after a vote by council, but both were found to have violated the Code of Ethics Bylaw based on the integrity commissioner’s findings.

“One of the recommendations was an apology,” said Masters. “The councillors suggested that if someone else wanted to write it, they would sign it — which of course is not really an apology.”

Masters said Anderson did not want an apology, so that recommendation was removed from the list.

The mayor said council decided to review the Code of Ethic Bylaw, and a report is coming from administration back to council.

Masters said the city is continuing health and welfare checks and ensuring no fires happen at the encampment in front of City Hall. She acknowledged the need for the supportive housing.

“I think that tents are no way for folks to live,” Masters said. “I think what we really have a problem with regards to some of the barriers is a significant level of drug use and addictions and mental health, and we need some solutions for substance use, and we need supportive housing.”