Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
The city manager whose contract was fired by Regina City Council in 2025 was also the city’s highest-paid employee last year, earning approximately $460,000.
Niki Anderson’s employment was terminated in July. She had been on leave for three months before that.
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The 2025 public accounts report presented to Regina’s audit and finance committee shows Anderson received $214,916 in regular remuneration and another $245,465 in the “other” column.
The report says “other” remuneration may include vacation credits, sick credits, allowances, membership fees and amounts paid upon termination.
City clerk Jim Nicol has been serving as acting city manager since Anderson’s leave began. His pay in 2025 totalled $245,000.
The city’s second-highest-paid employee was Roberta Engel, who served as interim CEO of the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (REAL) until April of 2025. Her compensation for the calendar year totalled more than $340,000.
Former police chief Farooq Sheikh was the third-highest-paid employee, receiving a total of $306,000 before he was fired. Sheikh was dismissed with cause and did not receive severance.
His successor, Lorilee Davies, was paid $291,000 in 2025.
Jennifer Johnson, deputy city manager responsible for tourism, communications, and Service Regina, rounded out the top five, earning close to $270,000.
Administration told the committee that while employee salaries may be a topic of public conversation, pay is set at levels aimed to recruit and keep skilled people in high-demand occupations.
Under provincial legislation, information on salary is provided for all employees making at least $50,000 at the City of Regina, as well as city entities such as REAL, business-improvement districts, and the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation, which is jointly owned with the City of Moose Jaw.
