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The work is just beginning for the new city council and new mayor at Regina’s City Hall. Regina City Council had eight new councillors elected in in November, while Chad Bachynski was elected as mayor, ousting incumbent Sandra Masters.
Gillian Massie sat down with Bachynski to look ahead to 2025.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Massie: Looking back at the last year, what were your biggest accomplishments?
Bachynski: I have to talk about the campaign and the incredible team that I had around (to) be able to … get into the mayor’s office. The last month of working with council to figure out our operating model, how we’re going to work together, how we’re going to communicate with each other … I think the positivity that came out of that, and the effectiveness of the first couple meetings that we were able to get through, was a testament to that work. In the short time that we’ve had, I think that was a pretty good accomplishment.
Massie: Looking back at the campaign, when was the moment you knew you were going to be the next mayor?
Bachynski: I think I just managed expectations to that point. Even when we were in the in (election night headquarters) Regina Brewing Inc. we were really just trying to temper it until it was a done deal, because you just want to manage expectations. During the campaign, we felt the momentum probably about a week or so leading up to election night. I wasn’t going to count on anything until the numbers came in.
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Massie: What was the reaction of your kids when they found out dad was going to be the next mayor?
Bachynski: They thought it was pretty cool, they thought it was pretty neat. I don’t think they know exactly what it means, but talking through it and telling them that there’s not actually a key to the city, that kind of thing — they were pretty excited about it.
Massie: Based on your first few meetings of council, how do you think things have gone?
Bachynski: Really well. Some of the work that we’ve already done — working with each other and deciding on how we’re going to work together — just to see some of those conversations happen, it’s very, very encouraging. I think there’s still lots of governance and lots of procedure that we’re getting used to, but overall, the first couple meetings I thought went really well.
Massie: What are some of the top priorities you’re narrowing in on in 2025?
Bachynski: First and foremost is looking at the budget. That’s going to be a big lift to get through all the line items and just understand everything. For myself and council, making sure that we get all the information we need (to) understand it, working together and making sure we’re getting any supplemental information we need, and then really working on deciding with administration what is the best value for how we spend our dollars. So that’ll be a big focus for us.
Massie: Are there any more infrastructure projects you have your sights set on for 2025?
Bachynski: We have a $1 billion infrastructure deficit, so I can confidently say yes. I mean, a lot of it is around the operational maintenance, making sure that we’re proactively addressing aging infrastructure. That’s going to be a huge focus. In terms of projects, I think we know what’s in front of us, and it’s just prioritizing the timing and the execution of how we how we go about those.
Massie: What goals have you set for yourself and this council to be completed by next year at this time?
Bachynski: A goal would be to be in a good space to understand the procedures, the governance, be confident that everybody is on the same page and the level that we’re operating at. I think that level of understanding and comfort in terms of all of the baseline, where we’re at, the history and governance. That would be a good first year in the books, as well as making good, effective decisions throughout the year.
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