A Regina, Saskatchewan brewing company is questioning the city’s priorities after a week-long set of consultations on the future of the area.
Last month, the catalyst committee held a series of eight meetings to ask the public what they thought about five large projects in the city — a replacement for the Brandt Centre, a new central library, a new aquatic facility, an outdoor soccer field and a new baseball stadium.
The projects could cost the city more than $490 million to complete.
“We have no issues with their goals. We also want to see a vibrant and revitalized downtown,” Meghan Trenholm,District Brewing‘s director of marketing and communications told CBC Radio’s The Morning Edition, during this interview.
“[But] the consultations were rushed, the survey was quite flawed and we really feel that Council’s priorities should be elsewhere at this time.”
She brought up affordable housing to be built on both the former CP Railyards site as well as the former Taylor Field site. “I don’t know who promised housing. I have no idea actually where anyone can find that promise,” Masters told The Morning Edition.
Businesses in downtown Regina are not against revitalizing the city centre, but some say the “Catalyst Committee” is not the way to go about it. District Brewing’s Trenholm argues that the city — and specifically the downtown — would benefit from more spending on issues like transit and battling homelessness.
Sandra Masters says the catalyst committee will plan and co-ordinate the development of a number of big projects in the city’s downtown.
“Honestly, this came up around the water cooler and around the coffee machine,” said Trenholm.
“Someone mused about the fact like someone should say something about this. And of course, being the communications person, I said, ‘We have a platform, we could say something.’ It’s really just reflecting the things that our staff feels as citizens.”
The catalyst committee’s report is due to be submitted to council by the end of the year.
Photo courtesy of ALEXANDER QUON/CBC