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CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Here are the highest-paid City of Regina employees for 2024
Regina City Manger Niki Anderson can be seen in this photo taken during 2025 city budget deliberations City manager Niki Anderson and Regina Police Chief Farooq Sheikh were the top two highest paid city employees in 2024 – both are currently on leave. Anderson received a total salary of $317,112 in 2024, which is up from $297,173 in 2023. For the past two years, Anderson has been the highest paid city employee – she was also the sole employee to cross the $300,000 benchmark in salary. Since April 29, Anderson has been on leave – with city clerk Jim Nicol serving as the interim city manager. The announcement of Anderson's leave was made public on April 29, following a special council meeting. No other details have been provided as to the nature of her absence – with Mayor Chad Bachynski simply describing it as a 'a personal matter.' RPS Chief Farooq Sheikh came in close behind – reporting an annual salary of $273,100. Sheikh officially assumed the role as chief in December of 2023. On April 4, the Regina Police Service announced that Sheikh had been temporarily removed from active service following a complaint from a member of the public to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC). The top 10 highest-paid employees with the City of Regina last year are as follows: Niki Anderson, city manager: $317,112 Farooq Sheikh, chief of Regina Police Service: $273,100 Lorilee Davies, deputy chief of Regina Police Service: $256,547 Deborah Bryden, deputy city manager of city planning and community Services: $250,206 Jennifer Johnson, deputy city manager of communications, Service Regina and tourism: $240,902 Roberta Engel, interim president and CEO at REAL: $237,720 Kurtis Doney, deputy city manager of city operations: $234,485 Darcy Koch, superintendent at Regina Police Service: $228,312 Shannon Williams, city solicitor: $224,281 Trent Stevely, deputy chief of Regina Police Service: $227,568 Other employees paid more than $200,000 included Jim Nicol (city clerk and acting city manager), Regina Public Library Jeff Barber, fire chief Layne Jackson, Economic Development Regina CEO Chris Lane and Buffalo Pound Water Treat Plant CEO Ryan Johnson. Former president and CEO of REAL Tim Reid also made the list – stemming from severance and other payments related to his termination in early January of 2024. The accounts show that Reid earned $22,060 for his work in January and $187,757 in 'other renumeration' for a total of $209,817. A total of 23 employees working for the city were paid more than $200,000 in 2024. This marks an increase from 18 in 2023 and 11 in 2022. Former chief financial officer Barry Lacey earned $146,398 in salary and $177,709 in 'other renumeration' when he retired in July following eight years in the position. RPS superintendent Kelly Trithart and REAL vice-president of corporate finance and operations Scott Manson earned $199,567 and $194,696 respectively. Next on the list was the former chief of staff for the city manager Ly Pham – who was paid $192,197 in 2024. Pham was one of three city employees who were terminated the day after Anderson was reported to be on leave. Former Mayor Sandra Masters received $151,564 in base salary in addition to $7,924 for travel and $14,882 for a car lease. Former city councillors were paid $55,537 for their final term in office. The city employed 5,168 people in 2024 – 200 fewer than in 2023. Wages and benefits accounted for approximately 46 per cent of the city's expenses for 2024.
CBC
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Regina city council to apply for federal funding to develop Taylor Field site infrastructure
Social Sharing Regina city council voted on Wednesday to ask for federal and provincial funding to redevelop the former site of Taylor Field in a major step toward building residential housing there. In a unanimous decision, council voted to apply for funds from the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) to support the Taylor Field Redevelopment project. "We told our people that when Taylor Field was knocked down, we would build affordable housing," said Ward 2 Coun. George Tsiklis before the vote on Wednesday. "That was more than eight years ago. "I think it's really important that we follow through on our promises. Otherwise, don't make them." The move comes after years of controversy over the future of the land, which sits adjacent to Mosaic Stadium. After the old football stadium on the site was demolished in 2017, the notion of turning the 46-acre field into housing, especially affordable housing, was talked about for years without concrete action. The estimated cost of the redevelopment project is $20.9 million. The money would be spent on waste and stormwater infrastructure, roads and green space development. The development on top of that infrastructure, with its expected allocation of affordable housing, would be a separate project that has yet to be finalized. According to the City of Regina, approximately $10.5 million is eligible for funding through the CHIF's provincial-territorial stream. The federal government would provide around $5.7 million and the provincial government would fund $4.8 million. The rest of the money would be covered by the city, with $3.8 million provided by the land development fund and the remaining $6.5 million covered in the next municipal budget. Mayor Chad Bachynski hailed the vote as a major step torward finally developing the area, saying the lack of basic city infrastructure had been a barrier to residential development. "Councillor Tsiklis, I think, laid out everybody's feelings," he said. "It's been a long time coming." The exact makeup of the residential development hasn't been formalized, but Bachynski was clear that affordable housing would be a priority. He was also confident that even if the city didn't receive the funding it was looking for with this application, that focus would not be compromised. "We know what the goal is. We want to get housing built and if we need to pivot, we will," he said. Andrew Stevens, a former city councillor who represented North Central and other parts of downtown Regina from 2016 to 2024, said he is glad the project is happening. "This would be a true catalyst project in the most human sense of it, in which you're building places that people want to live and they can afford to live," he said of a new neighbourhood at the Taylor Field site, which sits on the southern end of North Central. "You would invite different income groups to North Central and try to populate what has become a depopulated set of communities. But Stevens said he is also wary of how complex the affordable housing issue in that neighbourhood has become. "Let's be perfectly honest, in some parts of North Central, we're demolishing almost entire blocks of housing. We know that there's a massive vacancy in the affordable housing inventory owned by the province. So simply building new houses while you're demolishing them just a few blocks north by itself is not going to solve a set of problems." For Stevens, the solution should still come from the province, which he says has not lived up to its mandate with the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation. "This has to be seen as part of a broader inner city revitalization initiative of which the provincial government has to play a leading role. They're currently not," he said.
