Permanent board of directors for REAL identified, yet to be approved (2025)

Seven new members will replace the interim board, which was put in place nearly a year ago after city council removed the previous slate of members.

Author of the article:

Larissa Kurz

Published Sep 24, 20243 minute read

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Permanent board of directors for REAL identified, yet to be approved (1)

A new board of directors may be incoming to take over at Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) as soon as October, pending city council’s stamp of approval this week.

A governance and nominating committee has put forward seven names, to be discussed by city council Wednesday. If the recommendations are approved, the new board will be installed as of Oct. 1.

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As REAL’s sole stakeholder, it is the City of Regina’s responsibility to appoint an independent board of directors to manage the business affairs of the municipal corporation.

Seven finalists are coming before council, selected from a 14-name shortlist after a recruitment subcommittee convened earlier this summer. They are:

  • Michael MacNaughton, former chair of Creative Saskatchewan and the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District, and current board chair at the Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association (SMPIA);
  • Kevin Dureau, former board member at the Regina Construction Association and Tourism Saskatchewan, and current CEO of the Saskatchewan Construction Association;
  • Kathy Hillman-Weir, vice-president and chief corporate officer at the Information Services Corporation (ISC);
  • Christine Short, former vice-president and chief financial officer at SaskEnergy and Farm Credit Canada;
  • Sarah Fedirko, former manager in various roles at REAL and associate director of community engagement at the University of Regina, and current director of alumni engagement at Saskatchewan Polytechnic;
  • Jonathan Hackshaw, senior director of investor relations at ISC;
  • and Jaime Boldt, former executive director at Globe Theatre and John Howard Society, and current governance advisor with Hockey Canada.

Permanent board of directors for REAL identified, yet to be approved (3)

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City manager Niki Anderson will remain as a non-voting member, representing the city. Kevin France, an assistant deputy minister in the Ministry of Trade & Export Development, was appointed a provincial designate earlier in 2024.

If approved, the new board will replace the interim board of directors put in place nearly a year ago, currently chaired by Anderson and comprising five other City of Regina employees, along with Ward 4 councillor Lori Bresciani and France.

The new board members will serve on either two- or three-year terms, expiring Sept. 30 of either 2026 or 2027.

This list of appointees is the latest development in a major turnover at the top tiers of REAL’s governance structure after a tumultuous year for the organization. It began with a heavily-critiqued tourism campaign and also featured two external audits before concluding with revelations that the organization is not financially viable.

A few months after the previous board was ejected by city council,former president and CEO Tim Reid was fired by the interim board.

The search for a new board began in June, after council voted that REAL may continue existing but with a revamped mandate and new model. Part of that directive was also to craft a financial strategy to get back to being profitable, which is still underway.

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Interim CEO Roberta Engel told council the appointment of a new board was necessary before proceeding in a search for a new CEO.

REAL is also coming before council on Wednesday to ask for a $4-million funding top-up, described as critical to see operations continue past the end of this year.

If granted, the city will have covered $12 million in cash shortages for REAL since the beginning of 2024, including an $8-million audit by the Canada Revenue Agency over pandemic wage subsidies.

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lkurz@postmedia.com

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