Regina's mayor settling into role, eager to begin furthering new city initiatives

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2 days ago

Eight months and one city budget down, Mayor Chad Bachynski says Regina's almost-all-new city council is starting to find its footing.
Bachynski expressed those sentiments when he sat down with the Regina Leader-Post for a recent check-in interview to see how things are going in the first year of his four-year term.
'It's been a lot to learn and I think that continues on,' he began. 'But there's definitely elements that are obviously feeling more comfortable.'
Bachynski unseated former mayor Sandra Masters in the November municipal election, joined by a new council that includes just two holdovers out of 10 councillor positions: Shanon Zachidniak (Ward 8) and Jason Mancinelli (Ward 9).
The mayor says city council's work so far has largely been focused on projects and initiatives begun by the last council, but Bachynski hinted that he's now looking ahead to start introducing new business in the coming months.
In fact, he teased that a report on the city's strategic direction may be coming to council chambers soon, as well as a new action plan to improve downtown safety.
'From our perspective, we're absolutely getting our feet under us, learning as quickly as we can,' Bachynski says. 'I'm really looking forward to putting our direction in on what we do next.'
The first few months of his mayorship haven't shifted Bachynski's initial priorities, such as addressing Regina's $900-million infrastructure deficit, exploring 24-hour construction and bolstering civic pride. But his short time in office has also heightened the focus on long-standing issues like affordability, downtown vibrancy and the homelessness crisis.
All feed into Bachynski's vision for how Regina is to become a more enticing city — socially and economically. He expressed confidence that progress is being made on each issue.
'It is so encouraging that we have all the potential, all the right pieces in place,' Bachynski says. 'Some of the decisions that we're making may not be evident now as to the benefits, but we are looking out for the future.'
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Asked for his thoughts on council's key accomplishments so far, Bachynski named two: moving ahead on the $167-million Water Network Expansion Project for east-side water capacity, and financing new wastewater lift stations to help build out new suburbs like Westerra and Coopertown.
'Those are the things I'm proud of, that we made decisions that have actually put ourselves in a position where we can look for growth and ultimately help residents when it comes to affordability, (while adding) revenue for the city,' he says.
Bachynski acknowledges that spending on big projects is difficult for taxpayers to swallow. That includes a 7.33 per cent mill rate increase this year, the highest in at least 10 years for Regina.
But the new mayor says he stands by the philosophy that investment to increase the city's tax base is necessary to lessen the tax burden on individual residents.
'The more we grow, the more we actually increase our revenue, and that's actually the way forward,' Bachynski explains.
He also hinted at continuing to lobby the provincial and federal governments for financial help with Regina's infrastructure backlog, and to invest in homelessness supports in line with a housing-first structure.
'I felt there was more finger-pointing previously, and that's a different style,' notes Bachynski. 'But my approach is to try to be more collaborative and provide a solution at the table.'
Bachynski says he's also been working to promote 'alignment' between city council and administration, and to foster public trust in the work happening inside city hall.
'We have to have that trust that we have an administration that is full of experts,' he adds. 'If there is trust that's still broken, I think we need to do a lot of work to re-establish that, and that's fair.'
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