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A lot more city sidewalks will be cleared of snow this winter in Regina after changes were adopted by city council in a 9-1 vote on Wednesday.
Roads considered part of the city’s growth plan will now see their sidewalks cleared by city crews. The list includes portions of Albert Street, Victoria Avenue, Dewdney Avenue, Gordon Road, Rochdale Boulevard, Sherwood Drive and Chuka Boulevard.
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All sidewalks in the city centre will be prioritized as well.
That’s in addition to sidewalks next to city-owned properties and parks, transit stops and streets without homes or businesses fronting them.
The target is to get all of those sidewalks cleared within 48 hours of the end of each snowfall of at least five centimetres. The target is 24 hours for downtown sidewalks.
The plan adds 85 km to the 245 km of sidewalks the city plowed last winter.
Streets shaded blue and green on this map will have sidewalks cleared by city crews this winter. (City of Regina/Submitted)
“I think we’ve heard from residents that ensuring safety around our schools, and of course additional support as we will see in our downtown and along Dewdney, that these are the things residents appreciate and businesses appreciate,” Deputy Mayor David Froh told reporters following the meeting.
“So we talk about winter in Regina. We know it can be hard, and I think this is a very useful expenditure of resources.”
During the 2026 budget process, councillors approved $110,400 for the additional sidewalk clearing in November and December. The remaining $166,000 will be discussed during this year’s budget deliberations.
Council also agreed to bring forward enhanced sidewalk clearing on the newly refurbished Dewdney Avenue and 11th Avenue corridors for consideration during budget deliberations for the winter of 2027-28.
“Let’s remember that we’ve put over $60 million into Dewdney and 11th Avenue. This is critical infrastructure,” Froh said.
“It’s been very hard on the businesses there, and of course we’re on the tail end of that now. We want to support the businesses, we want to support the workers, but of course we want to encourage people to come to both of those areas.”
The enhanced sidewalk cleaning for 11th and Dewdney will go ahead for this winter, after the city says it got positive feedback for the work it did on Dewdney in the winter of 2025-26.
The cost of the enhanced service each year was estimated at $288,000.
Floodway rule changes adopted
City council has agreed to changes resulting from new floodplain maps from the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency.
The new mapping moves some properties in and out of areas defined as floodplains, including developed properties along Wascana Creek in the Dieppe, Mount Royal, CPR Annex, Crescents and Lakeview areas.
The province made changes to its regulations in 2025, and the city is now bringing its own rules into line with the provincial policies.
It means existing property within the floodplain can still be developed, as long as flood-proofing measures are adopted.
“I think we found a great balance between using science and common-sense solutions,” said Froh, whose ward includes Lakeview and the Crescents.
“Over 2,400 residents will be affected by this, but this is a solid outcome and, I think, a good example of collaboration between the province and residents.”
The changes will be made official in a future bylaw.
Council approves change to office development policy
Councillors also approved an update to the Official Community Plan that could add 43,000 square feet of office space in Harbour Landing.
The change allows medium-sized offices in the southwest Regina community without taking the downtown office vacancy rate into account. Council approval for each would not be required.
Two years ago, a similar change was adopted for transit hubs on Albert Street adjacent to Golden Mile Centre and Northgate Mall. An administration report showed no proposals have come forward for those areas since that change, with a lack of demand for medium-sized offices being cited.
Administration also pointed out that the office market has remained stable, with no major impacts to vacancy rates in either the suburban or downtown markets.
