Regina city councillor Terina Shaw stepping down from Safety and Well-Being committee

Regina Coun. Terina Shaw is stepping down from a city committee focused on improving community safety, following backlash surrounding her comments at meetings earlier this year.

Shaw, the councillor for Ward 7, announced she withdrew from her position as a director on the Safety and Well-Being Committee, in a press release Monday.

The committee is a part of the city’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, which outlines a multi-year strategy to improve safety and well-being for Regina residents.

“I have come to the realization that my presence on the committee could be a distraction to the work that it will be doing,” Shaw said in the press release.

“A question made by me has been misconstrued and in no way reflects my views regarding the important issues that the committee will be addressing.”

A group of Regina residents filed a formal complaint about Shaw in July.

The letter, signed by 47 people, was addressed to the city’s integrity commissioner and asked her to investigate Shaw’s conduct at two specific city meetings: an executive committee meeting on Jan. 26 and a city council meeting on June 15.

The complaint said Shaw’s comments on Jan. 26 implied that Indigenous men are sexual predators. In the second instance, the complaint references Shaw’s comments about Indigenous people choosing to be homeless.

“I remain committed to improving the safety and well-being of the residents of Ward 7,” Shaw said.

“I will also double my efforts of re-building relationships with members of the community so that we can work together in creating the best that Regina can be.”

City council approved the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan in December.

The plan focuses on six areas of priority: domestic violence and intimate partner violence; food insecurity, substance use, racism and discrimination; safety and service system.

With files from CTV News Regina’s Allison Bamford