Fougere, Fiacco call for period of no new business before Regina election

The mayor of Regina and a mayoral candidate are both calling for a moratorium on new city business before elections.

Tony Fiacco is one of nine people running for mayor. He said there should be no new business done by city council for the two months leading up to the election.

"[After the election] I think it's the responsibility at that point in time for the new council to conduct new business and deal and make decisions on this new business," Fiacco said.

Fiacco said with the current rules, Michael Fougere could use political events to campaign for re-election. Fiacco said his concern mainly had to do with the timing of the 2020-2030 Economic Growth Plan released on Oct. 1.

"It is during an election campaign," Fiacco said. "This is an item of new business that should have been delayed until after the election."

Fiacco said in this instance it wasn't clear if Michael Fougere made the announcement as mayor or as a mayoral candidate.

Fougere said he is not using the mayor's office for his personal campaign.

"None of my resources, my office are used for my campaign. So all my staff in my office, I have a firewall. They do not participate in my activities. My campaign staff is separate and distinct from that," he said.

He said the economic development plan was previously approved and he welcomes others to use it in their campaigns.

"[The plan] was actually approved by city council last month," Fougere said. "Anyone who's running for mayor can use that document, criticize it, support it … It's a visionary document for the next 10 years."

Fiacco agreed there should be a two-month pre-election period where no new business is conducted, but emphasized it would require changing the Cities Act.

"I don't think we should have a council meeting in October, but we're going to have one. I think there should be separation there," Fougere said.

"But the Cities Act determines the functional role of the mayor and council.

"So we have to change the act at the legislature."

Fougere said the municipal election is very different from the provincial election.

After the writ is dropped in the provincial election, the legislature is dissolved and the parties hit the campaign trail. There is also a blackout period of campaign advertising during the provincial election period.

However, because of the bylaws and Cities Act, the mayor and city council can meet and do new business leading up to the election, including a city council meeting on Oct. 28 — about a week and a half before the municipal election.

"I would be first to advocate that the council does not have meetings in October, the month of the election, because I do think that just having ordinary business take place is not the best thing to be doing. It should be focused on the campaign," Fougere said.

"The exception to that, of course, is our planning issues where there's legally required to have a decision made, but the rest of it can wait until the next term."

Fougere said all of the agenda items for the Oct. 28 meeting could wait for the new council, as the meeting may tie the future council's hands with some issues.