Regina Minute: Issue 86

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

📅 This Week In Regina: 📅

• There will be a City Council meeting on Wednesday at 1:00 pm. On the agenda are citizen appointments to Regina’s Boards, Committees, and Commissions for terms starting January 1st, 2026. The recruitment process ran from August to late September 2025, with an extension due to low application numbers. Appointments will be made across various bodies, including the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Board of Police Commissioners, Regina Planning Commission, and multiple BIDs and liaison committees. Some positions, such as the Board of Revision and Regina Appeals Board, remain vacant and will be re-advertised.
  
  
• Council will also finalize the assignments of the Mayor and City Councillors to various Boards and Committees for the 2026 term. Key 2026 appointments include: Councillor Turnbull on the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Councillors Tsiklis, Mancinelli, and Bezo on the Audit and Finance Committee, Councillors Tsiklis and Radons on the Board of Police Commissioners, and Councillor Rashovich as Chair of the Regina Planning Commission. Mayor Bachynski and various Councillors are also appointed as non-voting Council designates to boards such as Economic Development Regina and the Regina Exhibition Association.
  
  
• The Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) has submitted a reduced budget request of $10.8 million, down from previous years. REAL projects a $394,000 surplus at the end of 2026, marking its first profit since 2021. Board members emphasized that the organization is building on recent progress to maintain operational stability and community impact, with a potential “optimistic” $7.8 million request for 2027 depending on revenue growth. REAL will also receive $2.2 million in capital funding for facility upgrades, including turf replacement and boiler improvements, but has not budgeted for $32 million in deferred maintenance. Leadership noted uncertainty in long-term planning due to ongoing Council discussions about the organization’s future, including potential reintegration under City oversight. Council will review REAL’s funding request alongside other service partners during December budget deliberations. 
  
  
• Two managers of the Regina Street Team have been dismissed, with the Executive Director of the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District (RDBID) citing personnel reasons. The Regina Street Team, launched in May 2024, provides non-emergency outreach to people experiencing homelessness or mental health crises, particularly in downtown and Heritage neighbourhoods. The dismissals coincide with City discussions on re-prioritizing funding for homelessness and community wellness initiatives, including potentially reallocating resources and seeking additional provincial or federal support. Council is considering a motion to have a third-party operate the street team, though it would continue to function through at least 2026 regardless of management changes. The team currently employs 10 staff members, and decisions about its long-term structure and funding will be finalized with Council approval.
  
  
• The City is considering replacing its “close-and-dismantle” approach to tent encampments with a more proactive strategy aimed at supporting people experiencing homelessness. Under the proposed plan, encampments would generally be allowed to remain while the City focuses on connecting residents to supportive housing and services, dismantling sites only when there is a clear safety risk. The strategy includes expanding the Regina Street Team, funding three full-time staff for data and coordination, and investing $2.4 million in 2026 for warming centres, community grants, employment projects, and partnerships with organizations like Namerind Housing Corporation. The City decided against creating a designated sanctioned encampment site, citing high costs and the ongoing challenge of connecting residents to supports. Some Councillors and advocates raised concerns that the plan does not fully address housing shortages or barriers to services. Funding would come from a mix of redirected budgets and new requests in the 2026 City budget. Council is expected to vote on the proposal on November 19th.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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