The city’s Official Community Plan proposes how new neigbourhoods will be phased in over the coming decades, where they will be located and, most importantly, how Regina’s wastewater infrastructure can meet those future demands.

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At a meeting of the city’s executive committee on Wednesday, councillors voted 9-1 to advance the changes to be voted on by city council. The amendments create different tiers of short-, medium- and long-term developments.

The tiers are divided into three groups. The first includes neighbourhoods that can built on existing infrastructure and wastewater capacity. The second tier includes new neighbourhoods that will eventually be served by the northwest lift station, and the third tier includes the communities that would need new water lines and/or larger-scale infrastructure upgrades before being built.

The tiered approach came as a disappointment to Evan Hunchak, president of Bright Communities and his partner, landowner Mark Geiger.

Their Skywood development, east of McCarthy Boulevard and north of Diefenbaker Drive, has been in the works for around a decade, and the developers said the planned community being bumped down to the third tier pushes the project back by 30 years.

Under the phased approach, Skywood wouldn’t be built until after neighbourhoods categorized as tier one, including Westerra, the area north of Westerra, Hawkstone, Somerset, Kensington Greens and the remaining unsubdivided area of Harbour Landing, along with the tier-two communities of Rosewood, Coopertown and Westbrook.

Geiger told the committee that the change will cause a drastic decrease in the value of the land.

“Skywood contains 206 acres of developable land,” he said. “At a phase-one classification, that land is worth $31 million. Under the proposed tier-three classification before you today, that value would drop to $3 million.”

Geiger and Hunchak said they think a large wastewater pipe that already exists can support development of the community, but city administration said the existing network is at its capacity, and while an addition may not impact its specific area, the entire city needs to be considered.

Mayor Chad Bachynski says that’s why the proposed changes to the community plan are so important.

“The growth plan, the revisions that were made, ultimately, is just a much more data-driven, calculated approach in how we grow our city,” he told reporters.

“It accounts for green-field development, it accounts for intensification and it accounts for addressing some service-level issues that we see in the city, like basement flooding.

“So it was almost two years of work that the city’s done, getting a serviceability study done that tells us exactly what our capacities are, and lets us plan accordingly and get the best value from the dollars that we spend on infrastructure in the city.”

Bachynski said the approach removes politics from decisions around which new communities to advance.

“I think what I heard today is not everybody is fully happy with it, but I didn’t hear anybody that was opposed to what we were doing. They were all just really making their case for pieces that they’d like to see,” the mayor added.

“I think that probably indicates that we’ve found a balanced approach.”

Council will make a final decision on the changes on Feb. 25.

The Dewdney Avenue corridor revitalization project began in 2023, with the goal of beautifying the area while also replacing century-old underground infrastructure.

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Deputy city manager Kurtis Doney said the only remaining tasks are adding street furniture.

“Obviously, it’s been a long road the last few months, but we’re extremely happy that the work is completed. It’s open for business and for the holiday season, where everyone can come down and enjoy the area,” Doney told reporters on Monday.

Deputy city manager Kurtis Doney said the only remaining work on Dewdney is adding street furniture. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

Doney said the project makes Dewdney safer.

“We’ve got safe crosswalks. We’ve got our lights flashing here in red, and they’re doing that for a reason,” Doney said.

“It’s to train residents to stop at traffic lights where they didn’t have traffic lights in the past, and so it’s really important that people know how to go around the area safely, to park properly, and also to make sure that the infrastructure is reliable for the long term.”

The project is also an integral piece of the city’s Yards neighbourhood plan. Doney said the upgraded infrastructure will be able to accommodate further development of the area. Regina City Council is expected to consider issuing a request for proposal on the railyard renewal project on Wednesday.

The new traffic lights were flashing red throughout the day on Monday. The City of Regina said it was to train drivers to stop at the new signals. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

‘Huge sense of relief’

With Dewdney open once again, businesses like Rebellion Brewing can expect to see more foot and vehicle traffic in the area.

While some businesses drew fewer customers during the construction project, many were still accessible, albeit from different roads.

Mark Heise, Rebellion’s president and CEO, said his business was the only one that was completely inaccessible by road during the work.

“It’s nothing but a huge sense of relief and excitement,” Heise said on Monday.

“Everyone’s already talking about the future, what’s to come, all that sort of stuff. The future is bright. The Warehouse District, Dewdney Avenue, is the place to be.”

Mark Heise of Rebellion Brewing said the company had to work extra hard to stay afloat during the construction project. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME).

Heise said the construction caused many issues for his business.

“Canada Post shut off our mail because they said they could not figure out how to deliver our mail. Google Maps, for the last two years, was not updated, and could not show anyone how to get here, so ride services didn’t work,” he said.

“We had customers come from out of town turn around and drive back home because they couldn’t figure out how to get here. Drivers of semi-trailer shipments of $50,000 worth of empty cans would be circling the brewery for two weeks at a time. They couldn’t figure out how to get here, even with instructions.”

Throughout the construction, Heise said Rebellion took on a proactive approach and hosted many events to try to attract customers.

Heise also said he maintained active engagement with the city, providing feedback at different stages of the construction.

Other projects

Doney said the city will continue work on 11th Avenue next year from Lorne Street and westward.

Meanwhile, he said the water network expansion project in the east is nearing completion, ahead of schedule and below budget.

Doney also noted that work on the southbound bridge of the Albert Street Overpass is completed, with work on the northbound bridge scheduled for 2026.

According to the City of Regina, the total cost of this year’s construction season was $244 million.

Some of the work completed this year included:

• improvements on 27 km of roads as part of the residential road and street infrastructure renewal programs;
• upgrades to 10.8 km of sidewalks;
• removing 291 city-owned lead service connections;
• replacing 5.4 km of water mains; and
• relining 5.8 km of water mains and 960 metres of large-diameter wastewater trunks.

The City of Regina said the street will reopen to vehicle traffic between Broad and Albert Street.

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“I am extremely excited to see 11th Avenue getting wrapped up,” Mayor Chad Bachynski said on Wednesday.

“It’s been a long time waiting, especially for the businesses that have lived through the construction, which obviously can be very, very frustrating and is impactful to them.”

11th Avenue is considered the focal point of Regina’s transit service. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

Bachynski said he’s pleased with the results after all the work.

“It looks amazing – absolutely incredible,” the mayor said.

“I’m extremely excited to see it wrapping up and opening up so people can actually enjoy it.”

The 11th Avenue Revitalization Project began in 2023 and is scheduled to end in 2027.

The project has been proceeding in phases between Broad and Albert streets, roughly two to four blocks at a time. The project aims to bring roadway, streetscape, and sidewalk upgrades to the route while also replacing 11th Avenue’s aging underground infrastructure.

Some portions of the road have been made narrower to increase the size of sidewalks at certain points.

“There are some ebbs and flows in the sidewalk space, and I think it’s just part of the design of trying to make that walkable space downtown,” Bachynski said.

According to the city’s Transit Master Plan, which was drafted in 2022, 15 of 21 fixed transit routes pass through 11th Avenue, with many being put out of service throughout the construction project.

Eleventh Avenue has often served as the “focal point” of transit service, as the many different routes leading there have typically been scheduled to arrive at the same time. The buses that stop on 11th usually wait five minutes before leaving.

The plan proposes to end the five-minute waits and to remove 11th Avenue’s status as a transit focal point, although the street will continue to be accessible by transit users.

The plan also recommends stopping the simultaneous arrivals for different routes, counting on improvements to service frequency to make the plan work.

Bachynski said the city will provide more details about some of the changes as they are rolled out.

Mayor pleased with federal infrastructure funding

Mayor Chad Bachynski said he was glad to see the federal government earmark $51 billion for municipal infrastructure in the budget tabled this week, especially after he lobbied for more funding during a trip to Ottawa along with other Saskatchewan leaders last month.

Bachynski said he wasn’t sure if the trip was going to result in any new funding during this budget cycle.

“The fact that we did, I think it hit a mark,” he said. “We had some very positive feedback from the federal ministers in Ottawa.”

However, Bachynski did say the the amount isn’t enough for the type of changes municipalities across Canada need. The mayor also voiced concerns about having the necessary workforce to invest in major infrastructure projects.

“My expectation is that with this injection, it is a signal that those trades are going to be viable career opportunities, and my expectation is that there’ll be the appropriate levels of funding and support for education to make sure that we can get tradespeople ready to start building as we do the planning part on our end,” Bachynski said.

Council unanimously approved the City of Regina’s Strategic Plan for 2026-2029, with all members present.

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According to the City of Regina’s report, the four strategic priorities of this plan are infrastructure, liveability, vibrancy and prosperity.

During the meeting, Mayor Chad Bachynski described the plan as a “thoughtful and inclusive roadmap,” but it isn’t necessarily set in stone, as its implementation will ultimately depend on how council votes on various issues.

“It was a lot of work from council working together to (make) a plan that really highlights competing priorities in the city but also important priorities in the city,” Bachynski told reporters after the meeting.

Infrastructure 

Infrastructure is one of the City of Regina’s four outlined priorities in its Strategic Plan. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

The plan wants to modernize existing city infrastructure and support long-term growth through projects like the Saskatchewan Drive Corridor Project, Arcola Avenue corridor, northwest lift station, Water Network Expansion and southwest sewer upgrade.

The report also said the city would review commute times affected by construction work.

Another outlined initiative in the report was ensuring that 90 per cent of all residences, workplaces, secondary and post-secondary schools, shopping centres and public facilities are situated within 400 meters of public transit.

Vibrancy 

The City of Regina’s report expressed a desire to make Regina a safe and inclusive city for residents, visitors and investments.(Abby Zieverink/980 CJME)

The report expressed a desire to make Regina a safe and inclusive city for residents, visitors and investments.

It’s suggested the report’s goal will be achieved through works like developing the Indoor Aquatic Facility, implementing the city’s Accessibility Plan and exploring increased funding for the Community Investments Grant Program.

Also, the city included updating its existing Recreation and Culture master plans.

Livability 

According to the report, the city wants to support long-term growth and offer more diverse housing options to neighbourhoods.

The proposed plan wants to see new commercial and residential developments in Regina.

The city hopes to reach these goals through Housing Accelerator Fund projects and initiatives like the development of the old Taylor Field site and the Yards.

Prosperity 

The city wants to make Regina more appealing to visitors and tourists and ensure its continued economic growth.

This strategic priority will emphasize alignment with its 2030 Economic Growth Plan, a 10-year plan that outlines actions to increase “prosperity and economic potential”.

The report also states an intent to create an official City of Regina Regional Co-ordinator position.

How will council keep to this strategy? 

Mayor Bachynski said council will receive a yearly balanced scorecard to measure council’s success in adhering to the overall strategic plan.

He said the scorecards will measure the health of “different actions and priority areas.”

“It’s a living document, so we’ll have that reported back to us, we’ll provide feedback on (whether) it’s giving us the insight we need to make good decisions as council and prioritize the actions out of administration, and then we adjust and move forward,” Bachynski said.

Beck said the move would help reduce Canadian dependence on the U.S.

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“In 2017 the amount that the province provided to short-line rail was $1 million. This last budget year, that amount was still $1 million,” Beck said.

She added that there were eight short-line railway companies operating in Saskatchewan in 2017, but now there are 13.

“As you can imagine, everything from the price of rail ties to labour to fuel, all of those have only increased — and not making this investment in short-line rail is refusing to make good on the opportunity to (invest) in small communities right across this province,” Beck said.

Beck also said an investment in short-line rail would be beneficial, especially with upcoming projects like the Jansen Potash Mine opening in 2026. The mine would provide an additional 8.5 million tons to be shipped.

“This is a good problem to have … if we’re looking at critical minerals, if we’re looking at exploration right across this province, that is fantastic,” Beck said.

“But in order for us to be able to make good on the opportunity that is there, we have to be able to get that product to market.”

Glenn Pohl, senior railway consultant with Xpert Rail Consulting, said short-line rail is an alternative to Class 1 railways.

“We are the first mile and last mile of the operation. So our job is to put producer car agricultural products like fertilizer (in a) spot where they can load and unload and get that product to a market without having to go to  … big companies,” Pohl said.

“It also feeds all these small communities with jobs, infrastructure money is flowing in here and out of here all the time. We take some of the burden off the highways — it’s two and a half truckloads per railcar. And when you look at a railcar going down the track, you see lots of them … the offsets are huge.”

The Government of Saskatchewan said it is investing $1 million toward maintaining and improving short line railway infrastructure through the Short Line Railway Improvement Program (SRIP).

In an emailed statement, it said this would be done under a cost-sharing program with an increase of $470,000 (88 per cent) compared to last year’s budget of $530,000.

“This provincial investment increase of 88 per cent over last year’s budget is recognition by the Government of Saskatchewan of short-line railways and the role supporting our export-based economy,” the government said on Friday.

“As the SRIP is a 50-50 cost-sharing program between the provincial government ($1 million) and privately-owned short lines ($1 million) for eligible projects, the total short-line rail infrastructure investment will be up to $2 million this year under this program.”

The government added that it is open to working with the Western Canadian Short Line Railway Association and other levels of government to examine options on enhancing the SRIP.

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The overpass upgrade project will begin Monday, and the City of Regina said traffic will be restricted to a single lane in each direction across the northbound lanes throughout the 2025 construction season. The northwest loop ramp will also be closed during this year’s construction season, but detours will be in place to give drivers an alternate route.

The city said the overpasses are vital for both commuters and trucking, but both structures are currently in poor shape.

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“The Albert Street North Overpass Upgrade Project will involve fully replacing both overpasses while reusing much of their existing foundations,” the city said in a statement.

“The southbound overpass will be replaced in 2025 and the northbound overpass in 2026.”

Lane closures on Ring Road will also occasionally be needed in order to keep workers safe during the upgrade project, but the city noted that any full closures on Ring Road will happen overnight or on weekends to minimize traffic disruptions. The city said advance notice of traffic restrictions will be provided as the project takes shape.

The new overpasses will be raised to reduce the potential for damage from over-height vehicles, and will include improved barriers and guardrails to comply with modern safety standards, the city said.

The project is expected to be completed in October of 2026, “and will deliver two fully refurbished overpasses that will support Regina’s transportation network for decades to come.”

The 10-year deal will see Saskatchewan receive $187.9 million to address housing infrastructure priorities. The funds will be used to build or improve infrastructure related to drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste “in order to support more homes and meet the growing demand for affordable housing.”

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Eric Schmalz, Saskatchewan’s government relations minister, said the provincial government is also contributing more than $155 million to the program.

“An intake for eligible applicants is expected to open later this year,” Schmalz said in a statement.

“To build the homes that growing communities need, we must invest in essential infrastructure like drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste systems,” Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Canada’s minister of housing, infrastructure and communities, said in a statement.

“This 10-year agreement reinforces our commitment to sustainable growth, stronger communities, and housing solutions for communities across Saskatchewan.”

The city said it has received calls about 49 water breaks in the first two months of the year, an increase over the 31 breaks reported the same period in 2024.

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Jay Overend, the City of Regina’s water operations manager, said the increase is “quite significant.”

“The main catalyst is the big fluctuations in temperatures. Going from the -50 Cs to the warmer weather we’re seeing now, it’s definitely shifting the ground, which then shifts our infrastructure and causes it to break.”

Overend said the number of water main breaks varies every year, depending on the weather.

“Some years are slower, when we have constant temperatures without the fluctuation. But there have been previous years when we’ve seen increases like this, so we are able to handle these,” he said.

“Residents just might see more leaks out on the road that are occurring, and we’re trying to get to them as fast as we can.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, Overend said the city is currently dealing with 29 breaks, and aims to fix between six and seven each day.

When water main breaks occur, Overend said the city has an emergency services unit that will visit the site and assess the situation.

“If the water is flooding the street and there’s a possibility of damage to residents, then they’ll turn some water valves to turn the water pressure down so that the streets don’t flood as bad, but the residents will still have water,” he explained.

After the assessment, he said another team goes out and opens catch basins so that water has somewhere to drain, and then crews go in to start planning the repair. Following that, repairs are completed in order of urgency.

“We base it off of if a resident doesn’t have water – like no water at all – that’s a top priority for us,” Overend explained. “Or if it’s going to cause damage to properties, or a residential street that has care homes or a hospital is at risk, then those are also a top priority.”

Overend said high-priority breaks usually get addressed within 24 hours.

“If it’s a water connection leaking for one single household, that could take a little bit longer, depending on how many higher-priority items are above that. But when we are on site repairing the leaks, typically it takes about four to six hours to repair one leak.”

How Regina works to prevent water main breaks

Overend says the City of Regina is continually investing in its underground infrastructure.

Every year, he said, the city replaces or rehabilitates roughly 10 kilometres of water infrastructure.

“It could be a mixture of relining or open-trench replacement. It just depends on where the location is and what makes sense for that area,” he said.

Overend said doing those repairs has helped cut down on water main breaks significantly.

“Just during this season, where we’re seeing a lot more just with the weather fluctuations, we’re seeing more breaks on the older infrastructure that hasn’t been realigned or replaced.”

If you see a water break or a water leak on the roads — or anywhere else — Overend said to call the City at 306-777-7000.

Saskatoon water main breaks slightly above five-year-average

The City of Saskatoon has recorded 41 water main breaks in the first two months of this year.

That’s a slight drop from the same period in 2024, when 51 water main breaks were recorded, but ahead of the city’s five-year average for water main breaks, which sits at 37.

“Water main breaks can occur any time of year. However, more breaks occur in winter months due to fluctuations in temperature from extreme cold to above freezing and frost depths that can cause ground shifting,” the City of Saskatoon said in a statement.

“The city aims to repair water main breaks and return water service within 1-2 days, depending on the location of the break.”

–with files from 980 CJME’s Nicole Garn

–Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct an error in the number of breaks seen in 2024.

The indefinite closure of the Weyburn Leisure Centre’s indoor pool was a shock to the community despite temporary closures over the past few years.

Mayor Jeff Richards said it was a shock to the city as well, as they were in talks to begin planning for a new pool in another five years.

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“We did have a consulting firm come in recently in the last couple years and say to us ‘You’re probably going to get about 10 more years out of that pool, and then it’s not going to be any good,’ which is kind of lined up with traditionally, what a pool would last. So we thought ‘OK, let’s get our act together here and start planning for the next one.’”

He said the city hoped the existing pool would remain functional until the new one was built, but that wasn’t the case.

Premature failures in the pool structure are what ultimately brought about the pool’s demise. Ground-penetrating radar revealed rebar underneath the pool deck and basin failed after pool staff noticed a leak draining 32,000 litres of water in a single day. Richards described it as a “catastrophic failure.”

“We bring down structural engineers so that we aren’t making bad decisions. The engineers that we had down – and we never just bring one, we’ll make sure we get, like a doctor, you’re going to get a couple of opinions – they said that is not structurally sound. You cannot be in there, period. You cannot be on the pool deck. You cannot put water in that pool. It’s structurally unsound. That’s terrible news.”

He explained that the issues with the pool are fundamentally different than the issues with the rink, which is currently undergoing repairs related to a faulty ice chiller.

“The rink is terrible news, but ice chillers can be brought in and put back in. That pool needs to be replaced. We don’t know what ‘replaced’ looks like,” he said.

Richards examined the issues with the lack of an indoor facility, noting “that does take us back to a one-pool community, which a lot of communities our size are, but we don’t want to be that. We want to have the best services here for our people, because we deserve that.”

He encouraged the community, reminding residents that the city’s outdoor pool will be up and running as soon as the weather permits.

“We will get through this,” the mayor said. “Once we get some options we will engage the community. We’ll engage the user groups, just like we did with the Spark Center. We didn’t rush into that, either. We will engage the community to say ‘What do you think we should be doing for the next 30 years for a pool for Weyburn?’ And I don’t know what the answer is going to be. In fact, I’m kind of excited, but this winter is going to be tougher than normal.”

The city’s Water Network Expansion Project has forced traffic down to one lane on a section of Ring Road, the speed limit on a portion of the busy freeway is reduced to 60 km/h. But that may not be the case for much longer. According to a statement from the city, those traffic restrictions should be coming to an end soon as the project wraps up for the year.

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“Road users will notice the contractor starting to reduce the traffic restrictions and clear the road over the next two weeks, with both lanes being reopened to traffic in mid-December,” the city’s statement read.

“The contractor is currently wrapping up their last couple of construction locations, filling in excavations and cleaning up various equipment and materials along the route. Most of the project’s work was completed in 2024, and only a small amount is remaining to complete in spring 2025, such as landscaping and chain link fence installation.”

The city added that the work on Ring Road could have taken much longer than it did.

“The Water Network Expansion Project required the installation of a new 8.4 km-long, large-diameter water main,” the city explained.

“The contractor had up to four crews working at various locations throughout the year to increase the speed at which the project could be completed. This project was originally estimated to take 2 full years, but the contractor was able to significantly accelerate the schedule.”

The overarching goal of the water network expansion is to allow the city to continue meeting the water pressure and storage needs of current and future residents. The city said the new pumping station and reservoirs will allow Regina’s water network to accommodate a population of up to 310,000. The new facilities will be expandable in the future to accommodate a population as large as 500,000.

Along with the expansion, the project will see trees planted and new lights installed along portions of Ring Road.