Regina council lays path towards potentially restructuring REAL, giving it a 'fresh start'

CBC

13-02-2025

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Regina city council has agreed it's time to reboot one of its troubled municipal corporations.
On Wednesday, council unanimously approved a motion from Ward 3 Coun. David Froh to have city staff create a report examining the future of Regina Exhibition Association or REAL.
Froh says the report will help give this council — with 8 of its 11 members elected in November — the chance to restructure REAL.
"The purpose of the motion is frankly to have a fresh start and to have council finally make a decision on the future of real," Froh said after Wednesday's council meeting.
REAL is currently responsible for putting on events, promoting concerts and drawing tourism to the city. It also operates the Brandt Centre, the Co-operators Centre and Affinity Sportsplex.
The organization is stretched to its limit, struggling with a financial downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of major events and a business model that does not cover its expenses. This year, REAL's initial budget request is for the City of Regina to provide $12.7 million in funding just so it can continue operating.
City staff now has 18 months to come up with a report weighing the benefits of fully or partially integrating REAL and its assets into the City of Regina, dissolving the municipal corporation altogether and having the city take over its assets, or keeping REAL as it is with a reduced mandate and making it more financially efficient.
The motion also requires REAL to provide monthly financial updates instead of quarterly.
Froh says having data and evidence will provide council with the evidence it needs to make a decision, give certainty to the public and lay the groundwork for REAL to have stability in the future.
"[REAL] is too important for our community to relitigate its existence every single year," Froh said.
The report will be developed through collaboration of REAL and city administration, according to Mayor Chad Bachynski.
The state of REAL
REAL's newly hired board is already working to hire a new CEO for the organization. It's also pursuing a new business model which could include outsourcing the management of its facilities or contracting out some of its responsibilities.
The status of that review isn't clear. Froh says the report being prepared by city administration will be developed in parallel with the efforts by REAL's board.
Speaking after the council meeting on Wednesday, Bachynski said he welcomed Froh's motion.
"We need to decide at some point here what does that future look like and really put a pin in it and move forward based on real information and real data that informs us to make sure that [Regina Exhibition Association Limited] is successful and is into the future," said Bachynski.
Since 2019, REAL has required an estimated $44 million in facility maintenance.
As officials with the City of Regina have repeatedly pointed out on other projects, inflation likely means the current cost would be much higher.
Froh says this is due to decades of underfunding capital requirements.
"That doesn't happen overnight where you have leaking roofs and mechanical electrical sort of issues there," said Froh.
The municipal corporation also carries with it $16.7 million in accrued debt.
According to multiple reports presented to city council, REAL has no ability to service that debt on its own and since all of REAL's loans are guaranteed by the city, Regina would ultimately be responsible for repaying that money.
In 2024 REAL received $17.2 million from the City of Regina.
That's the result of $5.2 million in funding through the city budget, $8 million to pay back the Canada Revenue Agency for a pandemic wage subsidy it inappropriately accessed and $4 million to help pay down its line of credit so it could continue operating into the first quarter of 2025.