Regina weighs ban of fossil fuel sponsorships, drawing ire of Sask. premier

A majority of Regina councillors want to ban fossil fuel companies from advertising with the city, a move that has drawn the ire of Premier Scott Moe.

Under the proposal, oil and gas companies such as Federated Co-operatives Limited or Shell wouldn't be able to place their logo on public parks and buildings within the city. 

Ward 6 Coun. Daniel LeBlanc proposed the ban Wednesday during an executive committee meeting, with the motion passing 7-4. The proposal still needs to be approved by city council on Jan. 27 to take effect. 

LeBlanc said the move is an effort to promote sustainability, as the city has an initiative to make its operations 100 per cent renewable by 2050. 

"Sponsorships are associative in nature and therefore alignment with predetermined city values is necessary," LeBlanc said. "I think that's the very reason why we don't want sex, drugs, and rock and roll advertised on our buildings."

LeBlanc further compared taking sponsorship money from oil and gas companies to the likes of naming a building after "a pack of smokes" or cannabis companies. 

"We can not allow that to happen with fossil fuel companies, whose financial interest is to push the continued use of carbon-heavy technologies, carbon-heavy fuel sources. We need to distance ourselves from that and not allow them to gain legitimacy through their association with us," LeBlanc said. 

Concerns of penalizing oil and gas workers 

Mayor Sandra Masters, who voted against LeBlanc's motion, said she was having a hard time "comparing Shell with sex work."

Ward 7 Coun. Terina Shaw also opposed the idea. 

"Until we're ready to live in a house with no lights, and we're all riding buses, I don't believe that these people that want to give to us and contribute to our community in so many other ways should be penalized because of what they do," she said.

Ward 4 Coun. Lori Bresciani made a similar argument. 

"These are employers. People who live in our city. They're taxpayers and we're gonna say to them, 'You can not sponsor or give money to a community building,'" Bresciani said. "We want to build the bridges, and this would really tear those down."

But LeBlanc, who gained support from the majority of the committee, said oil and gas workers can still be protected by governments. 

"It's entirely possible for us to distance ourselves from the companies producing those things while still standing with employees and the families who rely on that," LeBlanc said. 

"We don't need to pick one or the other. But we do need to pick sustainability over carbon-heavy environmental choices. And I think we decided that already. We just need to follow up with it."

Moe threatens to pull Crown sponsorships

After LeBlanc's motion was passed, Moe issued a statement calling it "absurd."

"This motion is a hypocritical attack on the hardworking workers and employers that fuel Saskatchewan's economy and fund important community initiatives through voluntary sponsorships," Moe said. 

He also commended Masters and the three other councillors — Bresciani, Shaw and John Findura — who voted against it. 

The proposed ban will only come into effect if city councillors vote in favour of the motion during the city's next council meeting. 

Moe says if it passes, his government will "seriously consider the future of sponsorships to the City of Regina from provincial energy companies like SaskEnergy and SaskPower."

Moe added if the motion passes, he will assume the city no longer wants to receive its share of municipal surcharges from SaskPower and SaskEnergy, "which could instead be distributed to other Saskatchewan municipalities."