Reginans raise homelessness, city's carbon commitments as catalyst committee public engagement begins

Public consultations over a quintet of major projects that will help shape the Regina's downtown kicked off on Monday. 

Approximately 100 people sipped from coffee cups, took notes and asked questions during the Monday morning meeting in the AGT Lounge at Mosaic Stadium. 

The consultations are being hosted by the catalyst committee, which is tasked with shepherding the projects forward.

"Our city is on the threshold of something special," said Coun. Bob Hawkins, co-chair of the catalyst committee.

The projects include a new aquatics facility, a replacement for the Brandt Centre, a possible baseball stadium, an outdoor soccer field and the modernization of the central library.

They are meant to serve as a way to generate growth, development and private funding, with the catalyst committee to ensure they are developed in tandem.

'Build our downtown'

Monday's meetings were focused on the mid-size multi-purpose event centre that would serve as a replacement for the Brandt Centre. 

The Brandt Centre was built in the mid-to-late 1970s and serves as the home of the Regina Pats, the Canadian Western Agribition and other events.

The building is at the end of its useful life. Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL), which manages the facility, has envisioned a 10,000-seat replacement. 

Sites 01, 02 and 05 on the map below are three spots in the city's downtown that have made the short list for the arena. 

 However, the exact locations are deemed confidential. 

The arena would have a big impact on the downtown core, committee members said. 

"We want to rejuvenate the area and also we know that private investment, if they know what the plan is, will come forward and help us build our downtown," Hawkins said. 

The cost of constructing the new event centre is projected to be between $100 million and $120 million, with the additional cost of purchasing the potential sites pegged at between $32.7 million and $33.1 million. 

With the report having been written before recent inflation, it is likely the cost to build the arena has since increased, committee members said. 

The existing Brandt Centre would not be demolished. It would be redeveloped at the same time as the new facility is built. 

Concern over social issues

Many of the public questions and comments were about whether there are better uses for the city's money. 

Regina residents raised concerns about homelessness and the city's commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

Multiple people raised concerns that the city was focused on new construction rather than dealing with existing problems. 

Catalyst committee co-chair Tim Reid said he was conscious of these concerns. 

"The catalyst committee has a relatively specific mandate in terms of focusing on a handful of projects. But at no point should we ever neglect the fact that there are greater social issues in our community," he said. 

Reid, who is also the CEO of REAL, said the likely increase in the city's tax base and private investment from the arena's construction would allow council to fund more projects and address more commitments. 

That answer drew some head shakes from attendees Monday. 

Others in attendance took exception with the committee's tight timeline.

A total of eight public consultation meeting are scheduled throughout this week and a final report is due by the end of the year. 

If residents are unable to attend public meetings, they can also provide feedback on the city's website. 

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Hawkins said the tight timeline shows the importance of the committee's mandate. 

"I suppose if we had all the time in the world we take more time. But the reality is we've got facilities that are end of life. We know that we're going to have to do something about them," he said. 

Hawkins stressed that the committee is not going to have the final decision on the five catalyst projects.

"We are making recommendations... it's up to council to make planning decisions," he said.

The normal public consultation process would apply to anything that goes in front of city council, Hawkins said.