The office is only a few blocks away from police headquarters, nestled inside the east Saskatchewan Drive entrance.

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Officers won’t be permanently stationed at the office, and it won’t be a place for people to report crime – a sign on the window tells people to call 911 for an emergency and gives the non-emergency line for the city police force as well.

Acting police Chief Lorilee Davies said the office is about efficiency and having a presence in the downtown. She said if officers need to do some paperwork or run a computer check, they can do it right there.

“The fact that we can keep them out, visible in the community and in the downtown core is a big win for us,” Davies explained.

She said it’ll also provide some extra security and safety for visitors to the mall.

The Cornwall Centre is located in the downtown core, and Davies said she hopes the office and more visibility for officers will help change the narrative that downtown isn’t a safe place to be.

“We know that increased police visibility leads to perceptions of safety increasing, so I think anything that we can do to increase our presence and visibility in downtown, I think, will be well received by the community,” said Davies.

A number of people from around the city were at the ribbon-cutting for the new office, including acting police chief Lorilee Davies, Cornwall Centre general manager Katie Dockham and Mayor Chad Bachynski. Nov. 13, 2025 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

Katie Dockham, the Cornwall Centre’s general manager, agreed, saying the office won’t just be for the mall.

“This is for the greater good of the downtown. This is about building trust for the community. This is about building visitation downtown, building vibrancy,” she said.

The Cornwall Centre paid to build the office, and Dockham said the office is a first for shopping centres in Saskatchewan.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said one idea is to use the the soon-to-be-available space at the Cornwall Centre for the Regina Public Library’s new central location.

“It’s got a lot of the amenities right there on site, including parking,” the mayor said.

Masters said the Bay’s announcement comes after the city issued an expression of interest in March to see if there are local developers or building owners are interested in a joint venture with the library on a new central branch.

“With the Bay opening up, if we move to an RFP in the near future I hope they would put in a bid on the RFP for a reconfiguration or redoing of the external nature of the space,” the mayor said.

Masters said a new department store likely won’t fill the space in the Cornwall Centre when it opens up in April of 2025.

“I would suggest that department stores like Nordstrom are closing in other bigger centres, so I think they are on the hunt for new businesses,” she said.

Masters said the city’s goal is to improve the safety and look of the streets to encourage growth downtown.

“We’ve got some investment in downtown vibrancy initiatives to make downtown more attractive and safer,” Masters said.

On Monday the company announced it will close the doors of its store in the Cornwall Centre in April of 2025, after it decided to not renew its lease.

CJME spoke with people outside the mall on Tuesday to get their thoughts on the upcoming closure, and the reactions were pretty mixed.

Dylan Harker suggested there is a lot of nostalgia wrapped around the Bay, both in Regina and across the country.

“That is tragic … It is an ancient store. I didn’t really shop there myself, but I remember my mom taking me there,” he said.

“It is very bizarre, because they helped build this country,” Harker added, referring to the company’s long history in the fur trade.

The Bay moved into the Cornwall Centre in 2000 after operating for 30 years in a standalone store at the corner  of Hamilton and 12th.

Jessica Pegg said she wasn’t surprised by the decision.

“I don’t think people have been shopping there for quite some time, so it makes sense,” she said.

Pegg said it’s time for a change.

“Eatons, Sears, all those cornerstone locations have slowly been shutting down, and I think people have moved away from that department-style shopping,” she said.

“While it is unfortunate, I think it is time to change with the times and what  people are looking for when they are shopping.”

Kody Critchley told CJME he wasn’t surprised either.

“It’s not very busy ever, so I’m surprised it hasn’t happened a long time ago,” he said.

“I’ll be sad if nothing replaces it. I am not too tied to them. They have a long history, but things change.”

But for Kortney Shaw, the closure left her speechless.

“I go to the Bay a lot, especially for my skincare products, so I will be sad to see it go,” said Shaw.

“I was sad … I am a little overwhelmed because I am such a big Bay fan.”

Another shopper, Angie, said she was going to miss the Bay.

“I used to work for Sears for 30 years, and to have that company go down and another big chain at the mall … It is a big blow for us consumers,” she said.

Hudson’s Bay Company has closed three downtown stores in Canada since 2020. Regina’s location will be the fourth.

In an emailed statement, Tiffany Bourre, vice president of corporate communications, said through “normal course of business,” the company decided not to renew its lease as it “looks for opportunities to optimize holdings.”

“We thank our customers in Regina for their patronage and hope to continue serving the community,” she wrote, adding that customers can still shop at the Saskatoon location or online.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Centre provided 980 CJME with a statement saying they recently learned about HBC’s plan to leave the mall.

“While we recognize the longstanding relationship this iconic brand has held within the shopping Centre, as we look to the future of Cornwall Centre and the downtown revitalization plans, we are confident about the opportunities this brings for our customers and the community.”

According to the statement from HBC, they will explore transfer opportunities to employees where feasible.

A fire department official said the fire was set in a clothing rack on the first floor of the store. An official at the scene told 980 CJME the fire was quickly brought under control.

No one was hurt, but there was extensive smoke and water damage in the store.

https://twitter.com/BrittonGray/status/1778163723678400786

In an emailed statement late Wednesday afternoon, eHealth said its head office would be closed to the public Thursday.

The eHealth office is adjacent to The Bay in the Cornwall Centre.

It’s the second time in the past two months that the fire department has been called to the mall. On March 6, a fire in an elevator prompted a brief evacuation of the downtown shopping centre.

The Regina Police Service and fire personnel are investigating Wednesday’s fire. It’s unknown if the two fires at the mall are connected.

Deputy Fire Chief Gord Hewitt said Regina Fire and Protective Services received a call at about 2:54 p.m. that there was a potential fire in one of the stores at the Cornwall Centre.

The alarms had gone off and security had been advised that there was a fire at H&M.

“When we got there, our crews went up and they did find a pile of shirts in the elevator that had been on fire, but somebody in the mall acted quickly and extinguished it quickly with a fire extinguisher and so we didn’t have to do any fire suppression and there wasn’t really any damage,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt said there was just some cleanup that needed to be done from the fire extinguisher before people were let back into the mall.

“(It was a) fairly minor incident and no significant damage,” Hewitt said.

Regina Fire and Protective Services are investigating along with the Regina Police Service. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

Hewitt said the fire department had sent four pumps, a ladder truck and a command unit to deal with the potential commercial fire. He said by the time Regina Fire realized what it was, it was able to be handled by one crew.

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With the faint smell of smoke in the air, hundreds of people were gathered outside of the Cornwall just after 3 p.m., some standing in the cold without jackets before the scene cleared up.

Ashlee Favel was going about her day at the mall when she heard over the intercom that the building was being evacuated.

“It was kind of scary at first, because all of a sudden everyone was just walking (out) …,” she said. “It’s just kind of scary when you come out and all the fire trucks and police are here.”

In an email, the Regina Police Service said it’s investigating along with Regina Fire to determine if the fire is criminal in nature.

Regina police said the call about the incident in the 2100 block of 11th Avenue came in at around 11:15 p.m.

Regina Transit drivers helped police find four of the suspects. A search by officers found a large knife in the backpack of one teen, a loaded sawed-off shotgun with ammunition in the waistband of another, and a sawed-off rifle missing the bolt in the waistband of a third.

Police didn’t say what happened to the other six suspects.

None of the four who were arrested can be named under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

A 13-year-old is facing a charge of carrying a concealed weapon, a 14-year-old was charged with failing to comply with the conditions of a release order, and a 17-year-old is facing one count each of carrying a concealed weapon, possession while prohibited, and failing to comply with conditions of a release order.

Those three are to appear in court Feb. 1.

A 15-year-old was charged with two counts of prohibited possession contrary to an order, and one count each of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized, carrying a concealed weapon, careless storage of a firearm, possession of a prohibited firearm with ammunition, failing to comply with conditions of a release order, and failing to to comply with a disposition.

He made his first court appearance Monday.

Dakota Louison, 32, made her first appearance in Regina Provincial Court on Monday morning.

During the brief court appearance, the Crown read out the accused’s history of prior incidents, which include setting off a fire alarm at a local store, breaching probation, failing to attend court, damaging a motorhome window, and assault.

Louison often interrupted the judge or attempted to speak over him. In one instance, she asked the judge to release her and allow her to stay at a friend’s house, but that request was denied by the judge.

Louison is set to return to court on Jan. 5.

On Saturday at around 3 a.m., police responded to a report of the theft of a Regina Co-op taxi in the 1100 block of Angus Street near the cemetery. Police learned a woman had got into the taxi and threatened to kill the driver, which prompted the driver to get out and the woman to steal the vehicle.

Police found the taxi shortly after 3 a.m., when it was seen ramming into the doors of the Shoppers Drug Mart in the 2200 block of Broad Street.

Officers approached the taxi believing it had stopped, but the driver took off — and proceeded to drive around slowly for the next 15 minutes. Police then attempted unsuccessfully to deploy a spike belt to stop the taxi.

Shortly after 3:15 a.m., the driver piloted the vehicle into Colin O’Brian Man’s Shoppe in the 1800 block of Hamilton Street. The driver then took the cab north on Hamilton Street with significant damage before turning west on to 11th Avenue.

The damage to Colin O’Brian Man’s Shoppe. (Roman Hayter/980 CJME)

Police then saw the driver turn north through the doors on the south side of the Cornwall Centre, where the taxi came to a stop. Officers again approached on foot, but again, the taxi started moving.

The damage inside the Cornwall Centre on Dec. 18, 2023. (Scott Vickers/980 CJME)

The driver went through the mall and attempted to drive through the building’s north entrance near Saskatchewan Drive, but the taxi got hung up on the stairs.

The damage inside the Cornwall Centre on Dec. 18, 2023. (Scott Vickers/980 CJME)

Louison was charged with robbery, evading police, dangerous driving, mischief over $5,000, mischief under $5,000, impaired driving, refusal to comply with a demand, and failure to comply with the conditions of an undertaking.

It was to celebrate the seventh annual CopShop event, in which 20 children are paired up with Regina police officers for an unforgettable shopping spree.

Each child earned their spot by working hard at school, setting and completing goals, having good attendance and having a positive attitude.

Parker Baumann, 13, is no exception.

Parker Baumann told Santa she wants a hot pink beanie for Christmas. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

She had a lot of items on her shopping list, but most of them were for her friends or family, which she was happy to do.

“I’m having a blast! The fact that I’m able to go out and buy some things for my friends but also myself too (is great),” she said.

Her list included lip gloss and pink nails for her sister, Fortnite cards for her brothers, and earrings and a claw flip for her friends.

She even got a gift for one of her favourite teachers.

“Because he’s awesome and he’s been my teacher now for two years,” Baumann said.

Parker Baumann got her teacher some expo markers, saying they often disappear from the classroom. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

The day started with a limousine ride from her school to the mall.

“It was awesome. I was the last to get picked up but it was still fun,” she explained.

She was then paired with Regina Police Service Insp. Kelly Trithart. They were a perfect match as they both love pineapple on pizza, which they had for lunch.

Baumann even got her personal shopper a festive hat to wear.

Trithart was blown away by Baumann’s kindness, humour and shopping skills.

“It’s been great,” he said. “She’s got a great attitude (and is a) really pleasant young lady. She’s more organized than I am. I think I learned a little bit from her today as well.”

Insp. Kelly Trithart helped Parker Baumann pick out gift cards for her siblings. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Trithart said this event is important to the Regina Police Service.

“It’s a really exciting day to work with young kids like this,” he said. “A lot of times, they have some adversity and struggles and things that they have to work through and they all have shown that they’ve done that. So this is a great day for them to celebrate and go shopping and have a lot of fun.”

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Fifteen of the kids were chosen from The Regina Intersectoral Partnership (TriP) program, which helps youths between the ages of five and 18 stay on the right track. The other five were chosen by their school resource officers.

Each kid gets a choice of a new winter coat or boots and a $200 gift card to the Cornwall Centre to spend on whatever they want.

RPS Deputy Chief Lorilee Davies said most kids choose to buy things for others.

“Their presents are gift-wrapped at the end of the day so they can literally go home and put presents under the tree for their family,” she said. “That’s the shopping part of it, but then the other beautiful side effect is the relationship between the children and the officers.”

She said the connection police make with the children is priceless.

“We’ve had officers in previous years who had a lot of seniority, that I would say have a tough exterior, and after spending a day with kids, you can almost see their heart unmelting in terms of getting that positive interaction with the community,” said Davies.

“In so many occasions, we’re interacting with folks on their worst days, so it really is a refreshing of why they joined the police force in the first place, which is to make a difference.”

The event is also put on with help of the Great Canadian Oil Change.

According to police, a caller reported between 10 and 15 youths were assaulting a female youth on a bus in the area of the Cornwall Centre just before 6 p.m.

When officers got to the scene, the suspects were gone. Police found the victim on the bus and she was taken to hospital by paramedics for treatment of some minor injuries.

As police continue their investigation, they’re asking anyone with information to call them at 306-777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.