Regina City Council reconvened Thursday morning to finish their monthly meeting.
The second half of the meeting saw discussions on the Unifor dispute and the CNIB/Brandt building dispute.
Councillor Andrew Stevens put forward a motion for the city to urge the provincial government to introduce binding legislation to resolve the months-long dispute between Unifor 594 and the Federated Co-op.
Despite overwhelming support for the motion, Mayor Michael Fougere decided to vote against it, saying that it is not the city’s place to get involved in a labour dispute and that the city overstepped its bounds.
“We don’t have any weight in the discussion, but the fact that we are commenting on something that is outside our jurisdiction on the floor of council, to me, sends the wrong message, we should be staying away from it,” said Fougere. “As much as I want to see an agreement reached, the best way to do that is through collective bargaining at the table, not by a municipality or government interfering in that process.”
Fougere says he knows the effect that the strike has had on the city and he wants to see an end to it as soon as possible, but he wants to make sure it is done right.
“I think everybody in the room agrees that the impact has been significantly difficult for homeowners, the workers, the company too, it’s just been all around difficult,” said Fougere. “But the solution is not for Council to say either adopt Mr. Ready’s recommendations or go to binding arbitration. That’s not what we should be doing, we should be saying to the parties, go back to the table and find a solution that benefits everyone.”
Another emotional debate was had over the city’s role in the construction of the new Brandt/CNIB building in Wascana Park.
Council approved a motion asking the Provincial Capital Commission to be more transparent in discussing plans with the public and the city.
When asked whether Council had any hesitation in getting involved in the dispute, Mayor Fougere said that the issue is very important for the city, so they wanted to be a part of the discussion.
“This is another emotional issue, people have a very strong opinion either way,” said Fougere. “This reflects a very important issue for our city, a very emotional issue.”
The Mayor says that the city didn’t need to approve the resolution, because the goal of it is already being achieved, but they decided to show where they stand.
“I say (the motion) was symbolic because the Capital Commission is now doing exactly what the motion says, and I think everyone agrees with that,” said Fougere. “I think what council wants to do, is to send a statement that we really want to do this so that we’re engaged in the process.”
Another motion approved by Council was the decision to create a board that would review the amount of compensation given to Council.
Mayor Fougere argued that given the city is facing a pandemic, it is not the right time to look at how much council is getting paid.
As a result of the approval, a review will be done by August, and any changes wouldn’t take effect until January 1st, 2021 when a new council would be sworn in.
