An Integrity Commissioner report was presented at Wednesday’s Regina city council meeting about a December 2022 lawsuit against the City Manager.
The report recommended that City Council request that Councillors Andrew Stevens and Dan LeBlanc provide a written apology to City Manager Niki Anderson for their lawsuit’s negative impact on her professionally and personally.
Anderson said that she doesn’t want the Councillors to apologize to her.
“To the councillors, I say no personal apology is required. Besides it being completely disingenuous, there are things much bigger and more important than how it impacted me.”
“By contravening the code, the councillors damaged the very thing that matters most to me. The councillors damaged the quality of public administration,” she said. “The councillors don’t owe me a personal apology; rather, I urge Coun. Stevens and Coun. LeBlanc to issue a public apology to the residents of Regina.”
She said the councillors should apologize to residents due to the effect the lawsuit had on the public trust in the administration and show a willingness to move forward.
“When public administration is damaged, it becomes more difficult to effectively serve the residents of Regina. Those who damage our ability to improve our community must apologize to that community,” she said. “More importantly, I believe apologies are opportunities and is an opportunity to reflect and to make amends to learn and to move forward.”
“Apologies have another important attribute; they can bring closure. I heard several councillors say we just need to get on with it,”. “This can bring closure. It is my firm belief that apologies to the residents of Regina from Coun. Stevens and Coun. LeBlanc can bring closure to this matter when it comes to this lawsuit. There is no better opportunity for closure than right now.”
Anderson added that it is time for the councillors to close this controversial chapter at City Hall and turn the page.
