Regina Minute: Issue 85

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

📅 This Week In Regina: 📅

• Rick Bennett is stepping down as President and CEO of Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) after less than five months in the role, citing personal and family reasons. The Board of Directors made the announcement but offered no further explanation, emphasizing the private nature of his departure. Trent Fraser, who previously held the acting CEO position and currently chairs Tourism Saskatchewan, has been re-appointed as acting president and CEO. Bennett began his tenure on June 16th, 2025, with a focus on financial stabilization, workforce engagement, stakeholder trust, and long-term planning. His departure continues a period of leadership instability at REAL, which has had an interim CEO for most of the past two years, including after the firing of former CEO Tim Reid in January 2024. Recent REAL initiatives include a multimillion-dollar Queen City Distillers project and a scheduled 2026 Foo Fighters concert in Regina. The organization plans to search for a permanent CEO in 2026. The Board expressed gratitude for Bennett’s contributions and confidence in Fraser’s leadership during the transition.
  
  
• Council voted 9-2 to table a decision on purchasing new tax software until November 19th to allow more time for consideration. Councillor Mark Burton introduced a motion to spend $500,000 on updating the City’s tax software to something that would allow for more complex tax calculations, such as the introduction of a minimum tax per property. Burton emphasized that his motion doesn’t suggest any specific tax change now, and is just about giving Council the flexibility to adjust tax policy in the future, but several Councillors expressed fundamental opposition, calling a minimum tax “regressive.” City Administration has previously advised against this model, citing inequitable tax distribution and the complexity of Regina’s diverse housing market. Acting City Manager Jim Nicol also questioned whether the software upgrade is necessary given current capital constraints. Perhaps the better question is how any tax software can possible cost half a million dollars?
  
  
• The City of Regina is inviting proposals to purchase or redevelop the historic former General Motors factory located at 1250 Winnipeg Street in the city’s warehouse district. The 300,000-square-foot building, currently vacant and unfit for occupancy, is City-owned and sits adjacent to a privately owned heritage-listed GMC office building. Regina’s Director of Land, Real Estate and Economic Development, Chad Jedlic, said the City hopes private developers will return the site to active community use. The factory first opened in 1927 and produced its first vehicles in December 1928, employing up to 850 workers and assembling about 150 cars per day at its peak. After closing during the Great Depression, the plant reopened in 1937 and was later repurposed during the Second World War by Regina Industries Ltd. to produce wartime materials before closing permanently in the postwar years. Interested parties are asked to contact the City for proposal details.
  
  
• The City has officially broken ground on Fire Station No. 8, marking the start of construction for a new facility in Regina’s southeast. Located at 5051 E Primrose Green Drive at Chuka Boulevard, the modern station is expected to open in early 2027. Mayor Chad Bachynski said the project is a key investment in both emergency response and public safety education. Fire Chief Layne Jackson noted that the southeast’s rapid growth over the past 25 years has increased the need for faster response times and stronger community safety infrastructure. The station will also serve as a community hub, featuring a public meeting space, a Big Blue Bin for recycling, and an accessible washroom for residents. The City says these amenities will provide valuable resources for a young and expanding neighbourhood.

• Mayor Chad Bachynski praised the first federal budget under Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying it “hit a mark” for municipal infrastructure funding. The budget introduces the $51-billion Build Communities Strong Fund, supporting housing-related projects, health initiatives, and post-secondary infrastructure. Bachynski noted the City’s recent Ottawa trip highlighted the need for continued cost-sharing, although the Federation of Canadian Municipalities cautioned that much of the funding is reallocated from previous programs and may not be sufficient for long-term generational investments. City Administration will review the new funding streams to determine eligibility for upcoming projects.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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