More conversations with REAL needed before decisions made as fallout of tourism rebrand continues, mayor says

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said conversations are continuing with the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd (REAL) board of directors about possible repercussions following the Experience Regina rebrand in March.

The comments were made after about a dozen protesters gathered at city hall prior to Wednesday’s council meeting. The group called the tourism agency’s off-colour campaign misogynistic and harassing.

“It’s a stupid campaign,” protest organizer Bernadette Wagner said. “It’s unbecoming of Regina. It sexualizes our city.”

“It’s abuse. It’s sexual harassment put out by our city,” she said.

Demonstrators held signs saying, ‘it’s no joke,’ and ‘make ending sexual violence a catalyst project.’

The protesters called for the removal of the current Regina Exhibition Association (REAL) CEO from having any association with the City of Regina, a full inquiry into why the campaign was launched, fair and equal representation of underserved and underrepresented communities and appropriate and immediate education and training around inclusivity, racism and sexual harassment.

“[Tim Reid] is ultimately responsible for this,” Wagner said. “To let any of this material pass through his organization is irresponsible and indicative of the [expletive] we need to end in this city.”

After changing its name from Tourism Regina to Experience Regina in March, the city-funded organization released a new campaign that included certain slogans that immediately drew criticism from residents both locally and around the globe.

Masters told reporters after Wednesday’s council she’s had one briefing to date with the REAL board. However, she added more are planned in the coming weeks.

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“We’ll continue to work through this,” Masters said. “Eventually there will be a public meeting where folks can look to have a report on the findings.”

Because Reid is an employee of the board of directors for REAL, Masters said it is up to the board to enforce any potential consequences.

“[They] report to council,” she explained. “Part of the conversations is how they are going to find solutions and a way to move forward. They want a review of what happened and to understand where the gaps are.”

“There’s work to do internally to find what some of the solutions are,” Masters added.

A SECOND PROTEST

More demonstrators made their voices heard prior to the meeting making a request to council to reject a proposal to alter the city ward boundaries.

The group wore shirts saying, ‘no more war on the core,’ and believe the potential changes to the wards create lesser representation for the city’s core neighbourhoods.

“We have issues distinct to the core,” Cathedral Village Community Association board member Trish Elliott said. “We have an untenable level of homelessness, addictions and we are drinking toxic water.”

The proposed boundary changes split Ward 3 into three different wards. Ward 3 includes the Cathedral, North Central and Heritage neighbourhoods.

“We need a voice in city hall for the issues of the core,” Elliott said. “These issues matter.”

Councillors rejected a motion to receive the report made by the Municipal Wards Commission on their proposed boundaries.

The commission will submit its report to the provincial government which may still enforce the proposed changes.

“The vote has no legal bearing,” Masters said. “[They] have filed their report and the boundary changes will adjust for the November 2024 civic election.”

Recommendations were made based on population density and election laws. Section 60 of The Cities Act requires a review of ward boundaries at least once every three election cycles or when the population of any individual ward varies from the average population of all wards by plus or minus 10 per cent.

The report by the commission stated, based on the existing 10 wards, the average ward size should be 24,532, with allowed populations ranging between 22,079 and 26,985.

Current population data shows Wards 2 and 4 currently exceed the average population while Wards 7 and 8 fall below the average population by more than 10 per cent.

Masters argued having more councillors representing the core neighbourhoods could be a positive.

“More councillors would have to advocate for those areas,” she said. “Whoever gets elected in the next election will represent whatever the ward boundary is.”