Regina city hall gets shakeup as city manager goes on unexpected leave

Regina city hall has unexpectedly made a change at the top of its administration.

In a special council meeting Wednesday morning, Mayor Chad Bachynski confirmed city manager Niki Anderson is now on leave. It's not clear if or when she'll return.

"We don't don't have any other information to share, just it being a personal matter," Bachynski said.

At the meeting, council received confidential information privately and then confirmed city clerk Jim Nicol as acting city manager, with a pay raise.

Nicol will be in the position until further notice.

"He's been in that position before, so I'm confident that we have experience that we can work with as council to make sure we can still move things forward," Bachynski said.

Anderson was hired as city manager in November 2022, becoming the first woman to hold the job.

She replaced Chris Holden, who was abruptly fired two years before his contract expired.

Holden served in some capacity with the city for more than 40 years.

Just weeks after Anderson was hired in 2022, two city councillors filed a lawsuit against the city manager's office over a budget dispute around homelessness.

The mayor at the time, Sandra Masters, said the lawsuit against Anderson had tones of sexism.

The lawsuit was unsuccessful, and the city's integrity commissioner recommended then-councillors Dan LeBlanc and Andrew Stevens write an apology to Anderson.

Anderson also accompanied Masters to an overseas global climate change conference in Dubai, U.A.E., back in 2023.

The two went as the City of Regina's representatives on the government of Saskatchewan's delegation.

Bachynski defeated Masters for the mayor's chair in November.