Farooq Sheikh, the former chief of the Regina Police Service (RPS), testified at the appeal hearing for his termination on Wednesday. The panel also heard testimony from the city’s mayor. At the hearing, Sheikh testified to engaging in “cheeky banter” with the complainant, but maintained a professional relationship with them as they were a member of the Regina Board of Police Commissioners, stating they were his “boss.” He told the three-member panel of the Saskatchewan Police Commission the connection between the two became flirtatious after he received an image of the complainant in swimwear. During his testimony Sheikh also admitted to sending flirty images and text messages back to the complainant, before eventually deleting them off of his phone. “I was embarrassed by my own communication and I deleted it because I didn’t want anyone to think we were in a relationship,” Sheikh said at the hearing. Sheikh said the furthest his interactions with the complainant went was sharing “a hug and a kiss” at a Christmas event he attended of the complainant’s friend in December 2024. He also admitted to driving the complainant and their friends home more than once. Sheikh also testified to messaging the complainant during a private session of a police board meeting that same month where he asked if the complainant would support amendments to his five-year contract with RPS. Those changes included increased severance and additional vacation. Through the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) testimony, it stated no evidence was found that showed the board’s approval of the contract changes were influenced by Sheikh. When questioned about a phone call Sheikh initiated to the complainant in late-February 2025, he admitted to advising them to resign from the board after he was made aware the complainant was associated with an individual arrested as part of a drug trafficking investigation. Prior to that, RPS’ deputy chief Lorilee Davies called the complainant to inform them about the ongoing case. Sheikh told the panel he appreciated his friendship with the complainant, but did not want to pursue a romantic relationship. “I liked them as a person and it was a bit of fun banter,” he said at the hearing. “I was here on my own [in Canada,] and after reflection I shouldn’t have allowed it.” In hindsight Sheikh added he would not repeat his actions. “I wouldn’t do it again if I had the opportunity.” Regina mayor defends board’s decision Regina’s mayor also testified Wednesday during the appeal hearing over the firing of the city’s former police chief. On behalf of the Regina Board of Police Commissioners, Mayor Chad Bachynski defended the board’s decision to fire Sheikh with cause. Upon reviewing the investigation report conducted by the PCC, Bachynski told the room the board felt Sheikh’s actions did not reflect the values of a police chief, stating that was the sole reason for its decision to terminate his contract. Sheikh was fired in October 2025. The Saskatchewan Police Commission confirmed that he was appealing the decision in July. With the police board being responsible for making strategic plans and providing direction to RPS on how to best serve the community, Bachynski said the trust between the community, board members, officers, and especially the chief “is imperative.” “The police cannot operate effectively if the public does not have trust,” Bachynski said at Wednesday’s hearing, referring to text messages between Sheikh and the complainant that launched the initial investigation. “My main concern is the lack of transparency ... and that was the big flag when seeing all of these messages.” During his testimony, Bachynski also spoke to an “odd phone call” he received from Sheikh in the middle of March 2025, where Sheikh disclosed he called the complainant to check-in on them because he saw them as a sibling. “It was a very odd phone call, and very frantic,” Bachynski told the panel, stating he was confused about the call at the time. “[It] was very unclear to why that information was relevant.” Bachynski added he has a “strong theory” now to why he received the call, referring to what the police board learned from the PCC’s investigation report. The council representing the Regina Board of Police Commissioners will begin cross-examining Sheikh Thursday morning as the hearing continues.
