A letter signed by over 100 women and non-binary residents of the City has been sent to Mayor Sandra Masters and City Manager Nikki Anderson, challenging their recent claims of sexism and intimidation against a pair of councillors.
The over one hundred signees include many who have direct experience with homelessness or work in supportive roles as social workers, counsellors, nurses, physicians, and faith leaders across the city.
Alysia Johnson with Rally Around Homelessness was one of the many who signed the letter.
“Women on the streets ultimately bear the burden of action or inaction,” she said. “There’s this notion that holding elected officials to account is somehow politically charged and sexist when the community, as a whole, feels that ending houselessness is the most feminist thing that we can do.”
Johnson said she believes that women who are experiencing homelessness are more likely to experience violence, assault, robbery, sexual exploration, and have unaddressed diseases and mental illnesses, leading overall to a higher chance of death.
“It’s dangerous to have this toxic narrative that’s framed around politics and genders when the real shame in the community is that we have women on the streets who do not know where they will go as women or with their children.”
“Feminism doesn’t end with the election of women who are in positions of power. It ends when women without power in our community are heard, valued, respected, and equal without the disenfranchisement and exploitation that we are seeing among our houseless sisters in Regina,” Johnson continued. “The whole point of the letter is to raise our voice, not for the powerful few, but for those women who still cry out for help and have nowhere to turn on the streets of Regina.”
The letter follows a lawsuit in which Coun. Dan LeBlanc represented Coun. Andrew Stevens and another community member against Anderson in an attempt to compel her office to include a line item describing the cost of ending houselessness in the 2023 city budget.
The Mayor and City Manager described the lawsuit as “intimidating.”
Anderson stated she felt uncomfortable being alone with Councillors Leblanc and Stevens. Masters has accused the councillors of harassment and that the lawsuit itself was sexist.
The letter disagrees with Masters.
“It is not sexist to expect that our elected officials remain accountable to their commitments. It is not sexist to expect that unelected city officials follow the direction of elected representatives when making life-and-death decisions that deeply affect vulnerable residents of our city. It is not sexist to demand that wards most affected by issues of houselessness and policing have representatives at the tables where decisions on those issues are made,” the letter states.
“Ending houselessness is feminist. Sheltering women in positions of power from discomfort at the expense of women for whom the consequences of their inaction are lethal is not,” the letter continued. “What Mayor Masters and City Manager Niki Anderson experienced was the rightful outrage of core residents who continue to be sidelined and ignored in decision-making.”
The letter states that women need more elected officials like LeBlanc and Stevens, who “sought collaboration and committed themselves to honestly engaging communities in their wards.”
Johnson said that they hope the letter brings the conversations around ending houselessness back to the forefront.
“Never give up, and never say never. Somebody could revive this,” she stated. “I fundamentally don’t accept that we are doing the best we can for people on the streets, so come what may. I think it’s important to have this discussion elevated in the community. It’s a front and centre issue, and it shouldn’t get pushed to the back.”
She feels the ‘drama’ between the councillors, mayor and city manager has taken away from an important conversation.
“The drama definitely diverts attention from the real issue, and that’s just it. We have another shelter that’s come into operation, which was sorely needed, but it’s a temporary shelter; every time we seem to find solutions, they’re temporary in nature, we need to get back to the table, and we need to get serious about permanent supportive housing and long-term solutions.”
Johnson said another reason they wanted to bring the letter forward was to show that community members aren’t alone with their thoughts.
“It provides a level of transparency to the discussion that I think has been lacking. We’ve heard a lot of talk of people not feeling safe coming forward, standing alone, and if that’s the case, then let’s open that up and have a community discussion and let’s be transparent about these issues.”
Regarding the claims of harassment and sexism made by Mayor Masters, Johnson said they don’t believe the lawsuit itself was sexist, but they don’t know what is going on behind closed doors.
She said that if the claims of harassment and sexism are serious, she hopes the claims are investigated and, if true, those responsible face the appropriate repercussions.
“If there have been claims of harassment. There are mechanisms they have at the City where those can be investigated, and I support those,” she said. “Investigate and follow, do the process, but unfortunately, from the perspective and the intention in which the open letter was written, women on the streets do not have a due process when they are exploited and there harassed.”
Signers also include residents affiliated with organizations and grassroots groups, including Carmichael Outreach, Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry, Planned Parenthood, UR Pride Centre for Sexuality & Gender Diversity, Rally Around Homelessness, End Poverty Regina, and the Heritage Community Fridge.
Johnson said the signatures were collected ‘very quietly’ without any posts on social media. She added that they had no trouble getting support and even had people who wanted to sign but were scared of possible repercussions of their name on the letter.
