Regina Minute: Issue 93

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

📅 This Week In Regina: 📅

• Happy New Year! As 2026 gets underway, Common Sense Regina is ready to make this the year that common sense takes center stage in our city. Your support and engagement make it possible for us to push for smarter decisions, lower taxes, and greater accountability at City Hall. This year, we’ll continue speaking up for practical solutions that benefit all residents and ensure our city’s leaders are focused on the priorities that matter most. Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy, and successful year ahead!
  
  
• Mayor Chad Bachynski says 2025 was a year of learning as he looks ahead to advancing construction and infrastructure priorities in 2026. Elected in late 2024 alongside a largely new Council, Bachynski oversaw major decisions in his first year, including two consecutive historic property tax increases, adoption of a new strategic plan, and the dismissal of the City Manager. Bachynski says enabling construction was a key campaign priority that received less attention in 2025 but will be a focus moving forward, particularly given Regina’s nearly $1-billion infrastructure deficit. He says that the City’s finances are constrained after years of relying on reserves to keep taxes artificially low, contributing to recent mill rate increases of 7.33% in 2025 and 10.9% in 2026. While acknowledging the strain higher taxes place on residents, the Mayor said his goal is to stabilize municipal finances and move toward more predictable, sustainable tax increases. He also signalled changes to the City’s budget process after public concern over proposed service cuts during deliberations.
  
  
• Homicides in Regina rose sharply in 2025, nearly doubling from the previous year, according to data released by the Regina Police Service. Police recorded 11 homicides during the year, up from six in 2024, which had marked a five-year low for the city. RPS Chief Lorilee Davies said the increase is significant but said that homicides are difficult to prevent through targeted interventions alone. She noted that wider efforts focused on drug interdiction, gang activity, and accountability remain central to the police service’s approach to public safety. Charges have been laid in all 11 homicide cases, though many remain before the courts. The incidents occurred throughout the year and involved a range of circumstances, including shootings, assaults, and vehicle-related fatalities.
  
  
• A fire broke out early last week at the City of Regina’s Transit Fleet Maintenance Facility on Winnipeg Street, damaging three buses. Firefighters found one diesel bus fully engulfed in flames, which was significantly damaged, while two nearby buses suffered minor damage. The garage was empty at the time and no injuries were reported. A fire inspector has ruled the incident “not suspicious,” though an investigation into the cause is ongoing. The City has not yet confirmed whether the damaged buses will be replaced, with a new diesel bus costing about $1.08 million. City Council recently decided to purchase hybrid diesel-electric buses, averaging $1.4 million, instead of additional electric buses, for transit replacements.
  
  
• Residents can recycle their real Christmas trees at the Yard Waste Depot on Fleet Street, just south of the City landfill entrance. The depot has a separate entrance and accepts yard waste free of charge, Monday to Saturday from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm. Trees must be unwrapped and free of decorations, ornaments, and plastic bags to ensure proper processing into compost or wood chips. The City’s tree recycling program runs until January 31st. Street pickup or curbside collection of whole trees is not offered. Small twigs or tree trimmings under 60 cm long and 2 cm in diameter can still go in green carts.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

This week's sponsor is you! We don't have big corporate backers, so if you like what you're reading, please consider making a donation or signing up as a monthly member.

Having said that, if you are a local business and are interested in being a sponsor, send us an email and we'll talk!