The appeal hearing for the termination of former Regina Police Service (RPS) Chief Farooq Sheikh has concluded. Testimony has helped better establish a timeline of the events that led to his firing. A publication ban to protect the complainant’s identity was ordered by the three-member panel of the Saskatchewan Police Commission which is overseeing the hearing. This timeline of events is based on sworn testimony and evidence presented in the appeal hearing. The complainant was not called to testify in the proceeding. Nov. 7, 2023 Farooq Sheikh was hired as the 15th chief of the Regina Police Service on Nov. 7, 2023 and officially sworn in on Dec. 1 of that year. His background included experience in Alberta and the United Kingdom. July 2024 Two new members of the Board of Police Commissioners, one being the complainant, were introduced at a meeting in July 2024. Both were civilian appointees to the governing body responsible for helping direct RPS and develop strategic plans on how to best serve the community. The board is made up of seven members: the mayor, two members of Regina city council and four citizens at large, one of whom must be of Indigenous descent. July 2024 – December 2024 Conversations through text messages, which Sheikh described as “friendly banter,” were exchanged between him and the complainant. December 2024 Sheikh asked the complainant if they would be attending the police board meeting on Dec. 12, 2024, where members were set to discuss possible amendments to Sheikh’s five-year contract with RPS. As part of his proposed changes, he requested higher severance and more vacation time. At the meeting, Sheikh and the complainant exchanged messages during an in-camera session Sheikh was excused from. December 2024 In late December, Sheikh received an image of the complainant in swimwear. According to his testimony, he said the furthest his physical interactions with the complainant went were “a hug and a kiss” at a Christmas party he attended with the complainant and their friend in December 2024. He also admitted to driving the complainant and their friends from the casino to their homes more than once. January 2025 – February 2025 Text messages between both parties continued. February 2025 In late-February, RPS arrested an individual as part of a drug trafficking investigation. Several members of the Board of Police Commissioners – including Sheikh, then-RPS Deputy Chief Lorilee Davies and Mayor Chad Bachynski – became aware that the ongoing investigation involved someone the complainant knew. February 26, 2025 The complainant received a call from Davies, and another RPS member, who informed them of the ongoing criminal matter. Following that conversation, Sheikh called the complainant to have a conversation with them on his own where he “advised” them to resign from the police board. In that call, Sheikh also asked the complainant to delete the text messages between them from previous conversations. It is unclear if the recommendation for the complainant to resign was solely Sheikh’s, as he testified it was a common decision made by the board. February 27, 2025 At the meeting, the complainant offered their resignation from Regina’s Board of Police Commissioners. March 2025 Mayor Bachynski received a phone call from Sheikh, where Sheikh disclosed to the mayor that he called the complainant in mid-March to check-in on them. Sheikh also said he cared for the complainant as a sibling. April 2025 Sheikh was temporarily removed from active service with pay after a complaint was submitted to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC). The commission carried out an investigation into two possible major discipline offences. Davies was named as the interim chief of RPS during Sheikh’s suspension. October 2025 The Regina Board of Police Commissioners formally terminated Sheikh with cause, as the PCC’s investigation found he engaged in “dishonourable conduct” with a board member. The complainant alleged that Sheikh used his position as chief to influence them to vote in favour of amendments to his employment contract. The complaint also alleged that Sheikh used his influence to remove the complainant from the police board. The findings of the PCC investigation were inconclusive on that aspect. The board’s decision to fire Sheikh was based on evidence that showed the communications between he and the complainant were kept from others on the board and from members of the police service. July 2026 Sheikh filed to appeal his dismissal to the Board of Police Commissioners. Sept. 14 2026 – present The appeal hearing for Sheikh’s dismissal begins. Throughout the week a panel heard testimonies from an investigator, the city’s mayor who spoke on behalf of the police board, and Sheikh. The hearing is expected to continue on Wednesday and conclude by Thursday. The panel will then make a decision regarding the appeal. However, it is unclear how long it will take for a verdict to be reached. The complainant was not called to testify as part of the hearings.
