Regina residents prepare to have their say at city council budget talks

As city council prepares to deliberate the City of Regina's proposed 2020 general operating budget Monday night, 39 residents are poised and ready to give their thoughts.

As city council prepares to deliberate the City of Regina’s proposed 2020 general operating budget Monday night, 39 residents are poised and ready to give their thoughts. Here’s a look at what’s concerning some Regina residents when it comes to what money is going where.

Regent Park Golf Course

Twenty delegations are scheduled to speak out against the proposed Regent Par 3 redesign in a collective effort to save the trees that would be removed as a result.

“As First Nations people of the land, we believe that it is our responsibility to protect Mother Earth for your children’s children,” said Carolyn Pelletier with All Nations Hope Network in her written submission.

Pelletier and 19 others are asking the city not to destroy the trees in order to make way for the recreation hub earmarked for the land.

In his written submission, Cyrus Campeau argued that during a climate crisis, the city should be saving the trees, not cutting them down. That sentiment was echoed by three high school students who also plan to speak to council Monday night.

“Lots of people are very concerned about climate change, and trying to prevent it from becoming progressively worse. But cutting these trees are just adding onto the top issues of the climate crisis,” wrote Sean Baker, a Grade 11 student at Thom Collegiate.

Wascana Pool

“The joy and peace of outdoor swimming at Wascana Pool should not be ignored in favour of an aquatic playground,” says a presentation by Friends of Wascana Pool submitted by Rob Nelson.

As president of the Regina Multisport Club, Nelson argues that a 50 metre by 25 metre pool should replace the old Wascana Pool, and not an outdoor aquatic destination.

He’s not alone in his request. Four others are scheduled to speak out against the proposed designs for the new pool, and many assert that the city did not consult the people who actually use the pool every day.

If it did, it would see that a pool large enough to swim laps and serve the adults who swim there regularly and not a water playground is what’s desired, they wrote. They also voiced concerned about how the proposed design will result in the removal of trees from Wascana Park.

“By all means, build something like this in one of Regina’s suburbs that could clearly benefit from an outdoor pool, with ample parking and no mature trees,” wrote Kate Smart in her submission. “But let Wascana Pool remain a classic, timeless, oasis that serves everyone from babes in arms, to synchronized swimmers, to water polo players, to recreational swimmers like myself, to lap swimmers, to seniors.”

Some of the delegations also argued that the surveys done as part of the public consultation process were not advertised widely enough, and asked leading questions that clearly showed the city only has eyes for an aquatic destination park.

RPS Budget

With a $3.6 million boost for the RPS slated in the 2020 budget, residents have been left wondering why a bigger police budget year after year hasn’t resulted in a decrease in crime rates.

“We continue to push more police officers on the streets thinking we will be increasing safety and well-being when we should be preventative and proactive rather than continue the current reactive actions,” says Jill Elliot in his written submission.

Elliot and three other delegations are calling on the city to focus more on crime prevention by addressing the root causes and social determinants of crime. Delegate Casey Peart wrote that he’s happy to see Chief Evan Bray supports such an approach, but said the city needs to act faster on it or everyone will pay the price.

“We must take steps TOWARDS the complex issues, rather than push them to the back burner because they are difficult. The way we are handling Crime in the city is NOT SUSTAINABLE, and if we do not act, we will pay for our inaction in both social and fiscal ways, as we have been for the last 25 years,” he wrote.

Transit

Public transit dollars are to bring four concerned citizens to council Monday night including vice president of Westerra Develpoment Corp. Chad Jedlic, who is calling on council to include an expansion of transit services into Westerra in the 2020 budget.

“The Design Regina Official Community Plan (OCP) requires new neighbourhoods to be developed at a higher density with diverse housing options that attract a mix of people from all income levels,” wrote Jedlic in his submission. “However, by not extending transit service to new growth areas, the City of Regina is limiting access to these communities to people who can afford to own a car.”

Other delegations argue more of an investment in transit is needed to meet the city’s environmental sustainability goals.

Chair of Regina Citizen’s Public Transit Coalition Terri Sleeva would like to see more funding for public transit and the city more actively endorse transit to improve ridership. Others are calling on the city to increase service frequency to make it more appealing and accessible.

City council convenes in Henry Baker hall on the main floor of City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Monday to begin budget deliberations.

jackerman@postmedia.com