Regina Minute: Issue 120

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

📅 This Week In Regina: 📅

• A survey of roughly 100 members of the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce has found that businesses see decisions at City Hall as barriers to investment and growth, pointing to municipal spending, rising property taxes, and a lack of fiscal accountability. Chamber CEO Mike Tate said businesses are looking for affordability and predictability before they commit to further investment, and that recent mill rate increases have made that harder. Tate suggested the City consider privatizing certain operations, including landfill services and its asphalt facility, and asking whether the private market could run them more efficiently. He also called for more business improvement districts so the City and businesses can better target incentives and spending. 
  
  
• A City report shows that the City of Regina received four whistleblower complaints through its human resources program in 2025. The program lets City employees confidentially report suspected wrongdoing, such as theft, misuse of position, or altering city documents, through a third-party hotline, and complaints are reviewed by the internal auditor, the director of people and organizational culture, and the city solicitor. Of the four complaints, two required an investigation, while no further action was taken on the other two because of insufficient information or because they did not meet the program's threshold. None of the complaints were substantiated, but the City said they still offer insight that can help strengthen internal controls. The program has been in place since 2020, and the City holds monthly fraud awareness training sessions to make employees aware of the hotline.
  
  
• Costco has taken a major step toward opening its second Regina location, with the City issuing a $24-million building permit on July 8th for the site at 8701 Dewdney Avenue in the Westerra area. The new permit covers the building's superstructure and follows an earlier permit for foundation work issued in April, with construction underway since the spring. Council first approved a discretionary use for the site in August 2024, but Costco released the location while it considered building at the Global Transportation Hub instead. The company agreed to build on the Dewdney site in May 2025, after Council approved an incentive agreement. A City report that month noted that Costco's existing store on Regina's eastern edge draws about two million customers a year.
  
  
• Regina's shared e-scooters are set to change hands this summer, with Neuron Mobility being taken over by Lime across 12 Canadian communities, including Regina and Saskatoon. The City of Regina said it was notified of the acquisition and expects the switch to happen between July 31st and August 1st, promising to work with both companies to keep service running smoothly. E-scooters first arrived in Saskatchewan in 2023 and are now in their third season in the province. The City of Regina said it has met with Lime's team and looks forward to continuing the service for residents and visitors.
  
  
• A new free drop-in space for young people has opened near downtown Regina at 2425 13th Avenue, in a building once home to the Henry the 2nd restaurant. The Treehouse Drop-in Youth Safe Space is run by the Street Culture Project and is the group's ninth location in the city, aimed at those between 15 and 24 years old. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Dudar said young people can drop by whether they are in crisis or simply want a place to cool off and connect, with two counsellors on hand and activities such as sewing nights, drum-making, and Cree language lessons. The space also offers foosball, air hockey, pool, and computers, and will be open seven days a week from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Dudar said users do not need to be part of any particular program to come in.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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