REGINA, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Police Commission resumed its hearings into former Regina police chief Farooq Sheikh’s appeal of his dismissal for cause Wednesday, with testimony coming from an important high-profile witness.
Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski took to the stand Wednesday morning, shortly after testimony wrapped up from Shawn George, the Public Complaints Commission investigator in the case.
On the stand, Bachynski was questioned at length about the events leading to Sheikh’s dismissal and what he was aware of.
Among the items Bachynski was questioned at length about was the Dec. 12, 2024, in-camera board meeting in which Sheikh’s employment contract was discussed and from which Sheikh had recused himself. It came out during George’s testimony on Tuesday that Sheikh had texted back and forth with the complainant, who was in the meeting, about how it was going. At one point, Sheikh texted using the words “am I winning?”
Under questioning from lawyer Mitchell Holash, Bachynski said trust in the police service is “critically important” to serving the organization and achieving the goals of the board of police commissioners.
Bachynski used the word “betrayal” to describe the messages that went back and forth during what he pointed out was supposed to be a private in-camera discussion that day.
He said that to “see that there was messages, these messages were going back and forth during that discussion when he was excused from the meeting, is completely inappropriate and completely breaks trust with the Board, and obviously with the public… this is not how the public would expect a Chief of Police to operate.”
He called it a “very large consideration” in the decision made to remove Sheikh.
Bachynski was also questioned about a phone call between police chief Sheikh and the complainant on Feb. 26, 2025, which had also been entered into evidence, regarding a police drug investigation into someone close to the complainant. Bachynski is expected to continue with his testimony throughout the morning.
Today’s hearing is expected to go on all day, and three more hearing dates are scheduled, with the final one happening on Sept. 24. The hearings are covered by a publication ban under which the complainant and another individual cannot be named or identified..
