Regina Minute: Issue 79

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

📅 This Week In Regina: 📅

• Council has voted 7-4 to purchase hybrid diesel-electric buses over the next several years. The motion was seen as a compromise between returning fully to diesel and investing in more expensive electric buses. Three hybrid buses are already in Regina’s fleet with no operational concerns reported. Administration will also explore refurbishing existing diesel buses to extend their service life by up to six years at an estimated $450,000 per bus. The decision follows warnings that the City is behind on net-zero targets, with transit accounting for 48% of annual greenhouse gas emissions, and comes as 49 diesel buses are set to reach the end of their 17-year lifespan between 2027 and 2030. 
  
  
• Council is moving closer to implementing the Province’s Safe Public Spaces Act, also called the Street Weapons Act, with a final vote on October 8th. The Act allows police to seize “street weapons” such as knives and machetes, as well as hypodermic needles, and to arrest those in possession, though municipalities must opt in for it to apply locally. Harm reduction advocates have protested, warning that including needles alongside weapons could further criminalize drug users and drive them away from services, while Council supporters, including Mayor Chad Bachynski, say enforcement will focus on seizing dangerous items and not criminalizing people unnecessarily. Police officials stress that discretion will be used in enforcement, and the bylaw aims to improve public safety without increasing arrests for small-scale drug possession.
  
  
• Mayor Chad Bachynski has spoken out against banning specific dog breeds, emphasizing that responsible ownership and enforcement are key to safety, not breed restrictions. The City is conducting an online survey as part of a review of its Animal Bylaw, which includes questions on pet licensing, aggression, and potential restrictions on ownership. Some support stronger enforcement tools, confinement rules, and warning signage instead of breed bans while others favour banning certain breeds. Any changes would require Council approval, with results of the bylaw review expected in November.
  
  
• Front-line workers in Regina are raising concerns about the short two-week timeline for the City’s online survey on its tent encampment response strategy, saying it limits meaningful participation, particularly for people with lived experience of homelessness. The survey, open from September 16th to 29th, seeks public feedback to guide potential policy updates for Council in November. Volunteers and service providers welcomed the engagement but stressed that awareness and accessibility need improvement. The City plans follow-up focus groups and engagement sessions to gather more input from stakeholders before final recommendations.

• Regina’s new Coopertown neighbourhood, expected to eventually house 36,000 residents, has begun construction but does not include a school in its first phase. Developer Dream Development says provincial forecasts show no immediate need for one, pointing to nearby Plainsview Elementary and St. Nicholas School, which already serve the area. Both schools are already at or above capacity, with St. Nicholas using five portable classrooms and Plainsview exceeding its official enrollment limit. Parents and grandparents in the community worry that the growth will worsen overcrowding and impact classroom attention, while the Divisions note that more portable classrooms can be added with provincial approval. The Ministry of Education says it is monitoring demographics and working with the City and School Boards on future planning. Residents, however, remain cautious given past issues in other Regina developments like Harbour Landing, where a new school was delayed despite rapid growth. Dream Development maintains Coopertown won’t face the same immediate pressures because the first phase won’t generate enough students to justify a new school.

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