Regina Minute: Issue 112

Regina Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Regina politics

📅 This Week In Regina: 📅

• Ward 10 Councillor Clark Bezo is bringing a motion to City Council on Wednesday that would require all City employees in in-office or hybrid positions to return to full-time, in-office work by August 21st, 2026, unless granted an exemption for operational, medical, or accommodation-related reasons. Of the City's 3,039 employees, 364 currently work from home under a flexible workplace arrangement that has been in place since 2011. Administration would also be required to report back to Council if implementing the change costs more than $250,000. The Regina Downtown Business Improvement District wrote to Council in support, arguing that increased in-office attendance would boost daily foot traffic and economic activity in the core. At last week's Executive Committee meeting, union leaders Ian Cantello of the Regina Civic Middle Management Association and Dave Kelly of CUPE Local 7 appeared in opposition, arguing that City Hall is already operating above capacity - meaning the City would likely need to rent additional downtown space at taxpayers' expense - and that the motion contradicts existing City transportation and sustainability policies that promote remote work to reduce road congestion. 
  
  
• Also before Council on Wednesday is a motion from Councillor Bezo directing Administration to work with the Province and the City of Saskatoon to review enforcement tools and penalties for commercial vehicles that strike overpasses while carrying over-height loads. The motion follows a spike in such incidents across Saskatchewan: in Saskatoon alone, three overpasses were struck between March 5th and 22nd - including two cases involving semi trucks hauling excavators over the 4.15-meter height limit - with repair costs for the first two incidents estimated at more than $750,000. A third strike occurred near Moose Jaw on March 16th. Saskatoon recently amended its traffic bylaw to allow fines of up to $10,000 for individual drivers and up to $25,000 for companies whose vehicles cause damage through non-compliance. The Regina motion asks Administration to evaluate options for escalating fines, administrative penalties, and cost recovery mechanisms, and to report back to Council by the fourth quarter of 2026.
  
  
• Council will also vote Wednesday on an application from Dream Asset Management Corporation to expand the Coopertown Concept Plan - a neighbourhood first approved in 2018 but still undeveloped - by approximately 24%, growing the projected population from 3,568 to roughly 5,600 people. The revised plan adds a 2.6-hectare Municipal Reserve designated for a potential joint-use school, and comes with an amendment to the Official Community Plan directing collector streets in new neighbourhoods to prioritize medium and high density housing. A notable infrastructure gap complicates the timeline - there is currently no wastewater capacity at the site, meaning the developer would need to rely on private, on-site storage until the Northwest Regional Wastewater Lift Station is completed in 2028. The Regina Planning Commission recommended approval after its May 12th meeting. Council will also consider an associated rezoning bylaw that would convert the land from Urban Holding Zone to a mix of residential and public service designations consistent with the expanded plan.
  
  
• Downtown Regina businesses are asking residents not to give up on the city's core as construction on 11th Avenue enters its third year. The work is part of a four-year revitalization project replacing aging infrastructure and sidewalks, expected to be completed in 2027. Some business owners said the construction has eliminated foot traffic and made it difficult to reach stores. The project is progressing in phases, currently blocking 11th Avenue between McIntyre Street and Scarth Street. The City says the project is on schedule and plans to complete the section between Scarth Street and Cornwall Street this year before moving into its final phase between Cornwall Street and Albert Street. Many of the affected businesses have turned to social media to keep customers informed and to promote shopping in the core during the disruption.
  
  
• A Regina police constable is facing a charge under Saskatchewan's privacy legislation after an investigation found he improperly accessed the force's internal database 67 times between 2021 and 2023 - using it to search an ex-partner and members of their family and social circle without a valid work purpose. Constable Clinton Duquette, a 10-year member of the Regina Police Service, was suspended without pay following the investigation and required to complete ethics and privacy training. He is also subject to random audits for a minimum of two years. The Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner reviewed the breach and recommended the matter be forwarded to the attorney general for potential prosecution, which led to Thursday's formal charge. The charge is not criminal, but if convicted, Duquette could face a fine of up to $50,000 or imprisonment for up to one year. Despite the charge, police have confirmed that Duquette still has access to the database.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

A City Councillor is proposing a motion that would require all eligible City employees to return to full-time in-office work by August 21st, 2026, ending most current hybrid and remote arrangements unless exemptions apply. 

Do you support a full return-to-office policy for City employees, or should flexible and hybrid work arrangements remain in place?

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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