Councillors urging stop to further developments in Wascana

With business developments taking place in Wascana Park, a trio of city councillors have put forward a motion asking the city to support keeping businesses out of the park.

Councillors Bob Hawkins, Andrew Stevens and Lori Bresciani have all put their names on a notice of motion to call for a debate on the issue. The councillors are asking the city to commit to protecting the park from future commercial development and to send a letter to the province opposing future developments.

“We think it’s time to put a red circle around the park, say no more commercial development, protect it for the kind of recreational and nature activities that the residents in this city and province want to see in the park,” Hawkins said.

He said all three councillors have received concerns from Regina residents about businesses going up in the park, which includes the Conexus building and the Brandt office building that’s scheduled to be built in Wascana.

“I think that many, many people in Regina think that Wascana is one of the very best things in the city, it’s an urban park that ranks with the great urban parts on the continent,” Hawkins said.

He said past generations protected the park and now it is their turn to do the same.

Hawkins said they aren’t opposed to commercial development in the city but believes there are more appropriate places for it to take place.

“We have a downtown, however, where we want to encourage business activity, where we have a lot of vacant land, where business and commercial activity like hotels and banks and condo developments and retail activity can take place.”

Council will debate the motion at the August council meeting.