Regina Minute: Issue 78

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

📅 This Week In Regina: 📅

• There will be a Special City Council meeting on Tuesday at 1:00 pm to address the general capital portion of the budget. Financial projections show significant funding shortfalls in the early years - $59.26 million in 2026, $6.43 million in 2027, and $32.11 million in 2028. The 2026 shortfall is driven largely by major projects such as the Indoor Aquatic Facility ($285.1 million), road infrastructure ($49.5 million), facility upgrades including a new Fire Station, transit and civic fleet replacements, and land development projects. Funding sources include reserves, debt, federal grants, and service fees, with adjustments to close gaps expected during the December budget discussions.
  
  
• Council is exploring potential service cuts in 2026 to avoid a projected tax increase. Ward 1 Councillor Dan Rashovich requested a report on the feasibility of reducing the mill rate by 5%, which would require cutting $61.1 million from the operational forecast, including $16 million from the current year’s budget. The City anticipates a jump in expenses of over $44 million from 2025 to 2026. Council approved the request in a 6-4 vote, though some members warned that such cuts could severely impact services or force the City to sell assets. Drafting the report is expected to cost upwards of $100,000 in staff time. Acting City Manager Jim Nicol cautioned that the findings could be “stark,” highlighting that meaningful savings would affect multiple areas. Separately, Council also unanimously approved modelling scenarios for mill rate increases ranging from 3.1% to 9% to guide future budget discussions. The report is scheduled to be delivered before final budget deliberations in December. Perhaps they could start with how a report on saving money could possibly cost $100,000... We'll do it for free!  
  
  
• Advocates in Regina are pushing back against the City’s potential adoption of the provincial Safe Public Spaces Act, which allows municipalities to classify items like needles and drugs as “street weapons.” At a town hall meeting, speakers argued the law would disproportionately target vulnerable populations, including those struggling with addiction and homelessness, by exposing them to higher levels of policing, fines, and incarceration. Harm reduction workers warned that labelling needles as weapons could discourage people from accessing safe supplies, leading to more overdoses and disease transmission. Critics also raised concerns about increased racial profiling, the loss of income supports for those charged, and the Act’s contradiction with existing federal protections designed to encourage reporting overdoses. Meanwhile, the Province maintains the legislation is necessary to improve public safety, and several Saskatchewan cities have already opted in. City Council will vote on September 24th.
  
  
• Construction has officially begun on Coopertown, a long-delayed new neighbourhood in north Regina that was approved by Council in 2017. After eight years of delays, largely due to infrastructure upgrades including a new lift station to address sanitary capacity, the project is now moving forward. The development, led by Dream Developments, will cover 1,800 acres, with 1,200 acres set for development over the next 30 years, eventually housing around 36,000 people. The first 220 acres, located near Ninth Avenue North and Courtney Street, will see grading and site work begin immediately, with home construction expected in fall 2026 and initial occupancy in 2027. The $60-million infrastructure investment was funded by the City but will be repaid by developers through levies. Homebuilders are already engaged, and the first lots are expected to be available for purchase next year. Mayor Chad Bachynski emphasized that Coopertown is essential to addressing Regina’s housing shortage. The development will offer a mix of housing types, including townhomes, rental apartments, and single-family homes, supporting the City’s growth plan toward a population of 300,000 by 2040.

• The City has retracted its earlier statement that 1.3 megaliters of sewage were discharged into Wascana Creek during last weekend’s heavy rainfall. Despite warnings that the wastewater system might overflow, City officials confirmed that the system maintained enough capacity to contain all wastewater throughout the storm. The initial announcement, made after a storm dumped up to 70 millimeters of rain on Friday and another 40-50 millimeters on Saturday, had prompted water quality testing in Wascana Creek and downstream in the Qu’Appelle River. Subsequent analysis showed no discharge occurred, and downstream users have been notified of the correction. The City had originally indicated the Garnet Street lift station had sent excess wastewater into the creek, but that was later proven inaccurate.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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