An Open Letter to the Regina Police Service, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Saskatchewan, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Canada, and the Regina Board of Police Commissioners.
Regina women and their allies stand united in their demand for greater justice when safety and privacy are violated by members of the police.
Recently, two cases of Regina Police Service (RPS) members targeting women through unauthorized access to police databases have come to light. As well, a member of the Board of Police Commissioners was subjected to misogynist online threats after her confidential complaint against the then-Chief of Police was leaked on social media.
In an environment of predation and coercive power, the police, courts, and government have utterly failed to provide appropriate levels of privacy and protection for women, or appropriate penalties for abusers. Women are again left with little reason to trust the system, which adds to the already existing problem of stalking and assaults going unreported.
Our call for justice includes: criminal accountability; legal reform; formal organizational reviews; and an end to organizational cultures, policies, and practices that engender a sense of impunity among violators and a pattern of inaction among public institutions meant to protect us.
The Case of Robert Semenchuck
Between 2011 and 2023, Sargeant Robert Semenchuck, a 22-year veteran of the RPS, used RPS databases to prey on 33 different women from confidential RPS files and, then, using false identities, employed the information to pursue personal relationships with the women.
In early 2023 one of his victims reported him. In response, Semenchuck was placed on paid leave of approximately $11,500 per month while the RPS undertook an investigation. As a result of the investigation, Semenchuck was charged with breach of trust and unauthorized use of a computer. After receiving 25 months of paid leave, amounting to approximately $288,000, he resigned and in November 2025 pleaded guilty to the charges.
In February 2026, the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan sentenced Semenchuck to a two-year conditional sentence to be served in the community and another three years on probation. The Crown Prosecutor put this sentence forward jointly with the defence, despite the judge’s expressed concern that the punishment seemed insufficient for the harms described in victim impact statements. Ultimately, however, the judge chose not to overrule the joint sentencing request. In media comments, disappointed victims said they expected more than “a slap on the wrist.”
The Case of Clinton Duquette
Constable Clinton Duquette, a 10-year veteran of the RPS, used RPS databases 67 times to access information about an intimate partner over a period of over two years between 2021 and 2024—before, during, and after they had a relationship—along with that of five other people closely associated with her.
In the summer of 2024, the RPS became aware of Duquette’s breaches and responded by giving him a one-day suspension without pay, a penalty amounting to some $525 from an annual salary and benefits of just under $128,000. The RPS also required Duquette’s participation in ethics and accountability training, as well as access and privacy training, and made him subject to random audits of his database searches for a minimum of two years.
A subsequent investigation undertaken by Saskatchewan’s Privacy Commissioner looked independently at Duquette’s behaviour and found the disciplinary measures taken by the RPS to be “wholly inadequate.” Meanwhile, there has been no action on many of the nine recommendations resulting from that investigation, which include a recommendation that the matter be conveyed to the Attorney General/Justice Minister of Saskatchewan for an opinion with respect to prosecution under the Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (LA FOIP). The Commissioner found that the Duquette breaches weighed heavily in favour of this step, considering factors such as the public interest in a prosecution and harm to the community as a result of the breaches.
The Minister of Justice is required to give his consent before any prosecution can proceed and to date none has been launched. Duquette remains employed, and his victims have been denied their day in court. Over 600 people have signed a petition seeking action from the Attorney General.
The case of Farooq Sheikh
In April 2024, a member of the Regina Board of Police Commissioners filed a confidential complaint against RPS Chief of Police Farooq Sheikh regarding inappropriate communications. The Chief was suspended with pay, continuing to receive approximately $23,500 monthly during an investigation by the Saskatchewan Public Complaints Commission.
During the course of the investigation, confidential internal correspondence revealing the complainant’s identity was strategically leaked on social media. As a consequence, the female complainant was subjected to horrific levels of online misogyny, racism, and threats of violence.
"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," her lawyer said to the media.
In October the Complaints Commission released a finding that the Chief had acted inappropriately, leading to his termination without criminal charges. To date, no one has been found and held to account for the document leak, a very serious act of intimidation against the complainant, with lasting impacts.
The Simple Truth
What these cases hold in common is the targeted victimization of women, and Indigenous women in particular, by men who held power and financial status far above the majority of those they preyed upon.
The cases are indicators of deep levels of patriarchy, misogyny, and racism throughout the justice system. By exposing women to harmful violations of their private information, they constitute a form of gender-based violence.
It should be noted that, in their examination of the cases, none of the investigating bodies identified gender and race as significant factors in these cases.
However, women see these cases for what they are, and demand equality and justice.
Calls To Action
We call for a Kerry's Factor that would create an aggravating sentencing factor for abuse of law enforcement authority in privacy, stalking, or harassment cases and to establish clear prosecutorial guidelines for treating these cases as more serious on account of power imbalance. The name is to honour Kerry Benjoe, an Indigenous woman who was the first to bring forward a complaint against Robert Semenchuk.
We call for full implementation of all nine recommendations for review and reform contained in the Privacy Commissioner’s report on the case of Clinton Duquette, to be carried out in an inclusive manner in close consultation with community members and individuals who have experienced police harassment.
We call on the Attorney General of Saskatchewan Tim McLeod to consent to a prosecution of the case of Clinton Duquette pursuant to the Local Authority Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act.
We call for the education of Crown Prosecutors on the serious trauma and ongoing harms that privacy breaches inflict on women, and to carry such cases forward with a much stronger commitment to justice, equality, and safety.
We call on the RPS and the Crown to—with the aid of third-party reviewers and inclusive community perspectives—examine their organizational cultures for evidence of gender, racial, and class bias; to work toward the elimination of discrimination in their organizations; and to challenge the societal norms and cultural practices of patriarchy, misogyny and racism in everything they do.
Until these calls are answered, women will continue to mistrust the justice system to act on their behalf, and will continue to fear inaction and reprisals when they confront the power of police officers. We say, “No more fear!” Women subjected to gender-based harassment by Regina police deserve fairness, support, action, and accountability.
The risk women took taking their cases forward must be honoured. From these painful events we must build equality and justice for all.