Leaked letter says former Regina police commissioner filed complaint against RPS chief

A letter to ex-Regina Board of Police Commissioners member Alicia Morrow, indicating she filed a complaint against Regina Police Chief Farooq Sheikh, was leaked on social media Monday.

The Regina Police Service (RPS) announced on April 4 that Sheikh had been suspended with pay after a public complaint against him. The Public Complaints Commission (PCC) is currently investigating the allegation. 

Details about the nature of the complaint and who made it have not been officially released.

On Monday afternoon, social media account Just Bins posted an image of a letter from the PCC to Alicia Morrow, a local business owner and activist.

The letter, dated March 26, acknowledged a complaint Morrow made against the RPS chief.

On Tuesday afternoon, Morrow's lawyer Sharon Fox confirmed that the leaked letter had been sent to Morrow, but said she could not comment on what the letter related to until the PCC investigation is complete.

In an emailed statement, a PCC spokesperson said the commission takes all steps to make sure complaints are kept private and confidential.

"The Public Complaints Commission is confident no inappropriate disclosures have been made regarding this investigation by anyone within the Commission or government," the statement read.

CBC has asked the RPS and the PCC whether Morrow's complaint sparked the investigation that led to Sheikh's suspension. The RPS did not answer the question and the PCC said it will not be releasing any additional details during the investigation.

Fox described the leak as a "clear and calculated attempt to intimidate, silence and re-victimize" Morrow. She also said the release of the letter led to Morrow facing targeted harassment and a risk to her personal safety.

"This breach is not just a violation of privacy—it is emblematic of the broader crisis facing Indigenous women, who are disproportionately subjected to violence, retaliation, and institutional silencing when they come forward," Fox said.

Fox also said her firm is investigating who was responsible for the leak, and intends to take "appropriate legal action."

Morrow had been a member of the Regina Board of Police Commissioners, the governing body of the Regina Police Service, since August 2024. 

The board is a seven-member body comprised of the Regina mayor, two city council members and four regular citizens, one of whom must be of Indigenous descent. Morrow was the Indigenous board member.

On Tuesday, Mayor Chad Bachynski confirmed that Morrow had left the board. Public meeting notes indicate her last appearance as a listed board member was at the Feb. 27 board meeting, where she was listed as absent.