City councillor calls for openness in Wascana development

A Regina city councillor says he has numerous questions about plans by Brandt Developments and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) to construct a four-storey building in Wascana Centre.

Coun. Bob Hawkins has been calling for a public inquiry into the project over several concerns, including the closed meetings of the Provincial Capital Commission which governs the area, the tender process and how demolition of the old CNIB building started without proper city permits.

“All of those things cause me to think there should be an inquiry,” Hawkins said. “I’m also concerned there are many, many facts that we do not know about this whole matter because all of this took place in secret.”

“There’s a deep, deep concern in the city for the way that this project has been put forward to this point.”

While the proposed building would provide a new home for CNIB, it would also include commercial use.

Development in Wascana Centre needs to align with several principles laid out in the area’s master plan. Commercial development is not one of them.

In August, city council passed a motion to oppose the further commercial development in the park.

“I’m concerned that is not an appropriate use of the park,” Hawkins said.

The former CEO of Wascana Centre Authority, the area’s previous governing body, said the Architectural Advisory Committee flagged problems with concept designs including the building’s proposed height, traffic impact, parking and its possible use.

A statement from the Ministry of Central Services said that was an example of how the “rigorous approval process” was working as intended and recommendations were addressed in the subsequent concept design.

“The AAC is now reviewing the detailed design, and may have further recommendations to ensure it meets the guidelines outlined in the Wascana Centre Master Plan,” the statement read.