Regina Minute: Issue 118

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

📅 This Week In Regina: 📅

• City Council has voted 6-5 to continue, and potentially expand, its fare-free transit pilot for some high school students, approving the program for the 2026-27 school year along with the findings from its first run. The pilot let students from F.W. Johnson Collegiate ride City transit for free from September 2nd to December 31st, 2025, at a cost of $49,000 in lost revenue and administrative expenses. Councillors Dan Rashovich, George Tsiklis, Mark Burton, Jason Mancinelli and Clark Bezo voted against the motion at Wednesday's meeting. Council also directed Administration to explore opportunities with school divisions to support student transit use and training, and to report back by the third quarter of 2027. Ward 8 Councillor Shanon Zachidniak called continuing the pilot a good start and said conversations about contributions from school boards or students could allow it to expand. Ward 9 Councillor Jason Mancinelli said he could not support the program, warning that the cost could further strain the City's budget and noting that providing free transit for all riders would carry combined capital and operating costs of almost $20 million, which he said is not obtainable right now.
  
  
• At the same meeting, City Council also agreed to ask the CFL to help pay for new turf at Mosaic Stadium after Administration brought forward an $8.2-million request to replace the artificial turf and digital scoreboards at the home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Council voted 10-1 to advance the funds for the two upgrades and 7-4 to approach the CFL about covering the turf cost, with Councillors Dan Rashovich, George Tsiklis, Mark Burton and Clark Bezo opposed to the request to the league. City staff say both the turf and scoreboards have reached the end of their life, and the new turf also aligns with a coming change to the CFL's field rules in 2027, the year Regina hosts the Grey Cup, which will shorten the playing field and end zones and move the goalposts. The improvements are expected to cost a combined $10.4 million, with the scoreboards making up most of the total, and an additional $2.2 million is to come from the existing 2026 capital budget on top of the $8.2-million request. Ward 5 Councillor Sarah Turnbull originally suggested pressing the league or the Roughriders to pitch in, while Mayor Chad Bachynski said he had not yet heard from the CFL but would welcome an investment if the league wanted to contribute. Administration is now slated to issue a request for proposals as soon as possible, aiming to award a tender by August and finish the work before the 2027 season begins next May.
  
  
• The Waterfowl Display Ponds in Regina's Wascana Centre have been padlocked, with a sign telling visitors the ponds will not open in 2026 while the Provincial Capital Commission decides what to do with the space. Jenna Schroeder, Executive Director of the Commission, said it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with maintenance and keep the area safe and accessible, so the decision was made to close for the 2026 season and pause to consider the ponds' long-term future. Established in 1971 on Lakeshore Drive to display captive and injured waterfowl, the ponds lost their overwintering structure in 2015 when it reached the end of its life and was torn down, and there has been no captive flock since. The Commission says it is now prioritizing other work in Wascana Centre such as pathways, picnic sites and washroom structures. Options for the site include the Commission designing something with contractors, or one of its partners, the City of Regina, the provincial government or the University of Regina, or a third party bringing forward a proposal, though any full redevelopment would face a 38-step development process and must align with the Wascana Centre Master Plan. Schroeder said wild waterfowl can still be seen in a natural habitat at the adjacent Wascana Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary.
  
  
• The Government of Saskatchewan has transferred 10 social housing units to the non-profit Silver Sage Housing Corporation for a rent-to-own program in Regina's North Central neighbourhood. Under the arrangement, Silver Sage takes on program operations, property management, maintenance, taxes, insurance and participant support, while the Province provides a forgivable renovation loan of up to $200,000 for modest repairs and says all units will be brought up to standard before residents move in. Through Silver Sage's Lease into Full Title program, tenants who lease for 15 years become owners at no additional cost. Social Services Minister Terry Jenson said the initiative will help promote home ownership in North Central, and Mayor Chad Bachynski said he welcomed the effort to build vibrant neighbourhoods for all residents. Silver Sage is dedicated to providing social housing to First Nations people and manages 371 income-based rental units in Regina and across southern Saskatchewan. The rent-to-own program was first announced in 2024 through a memorandum of understanding between the City of Regina and the Province, and since 2007 Silver Sage has worked with the Province to develop 144 affordable housing units.
  
  
• A Regina mosque has suspended its weekly amplified call to prayer after receiving threats and negative online reactions following its first broadcast. Although the mosque obtained a permit allowing the three-minute Friday noon call until July 10th, its director said community safety concerns prompted the decision to pause the practice. The mosque plans to consult neighbouring businesses and organizations through surveys, review the volume and reach of the speakers, and determine whether continuing the broadcasts would have a positive impact on the community. Its leadership emphasized that the goal is to practise their faith respectfully while remaining open to dialogue with residents who have concerns. Regina police have increased their presence around Muslim gathering places and warned that threats related to the issue will be investigated as potential hate crimes, while a nearby church publicly voiced its support for the mosque and its right to religious expression.

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