Latest news with #SandraMasters
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Regina's mayor settling into role, eager to begin furthering new city initiatives
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.' Related 'Only getting stronger': Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski delivers first state of the city address Council votes to terminate Regina city manager Niki Anderson without cause A REAL challenge: New CEO says past issues create fresh opportunities in Regina 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.' lkurz@ The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
CBC
29-01-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Inside Regina's last-minute decision to cancel a Palestinian flag raising
Then-mayor Sandra Masters told city staff she'd respond to questions on the cancellation, but never did In the days leading up to a planned raising of the Palestinian flag at Regina city hall, city officials received a barrage of emails from the public urging them to cancel the event. A cache of internal documents obtained by CBC News through a freedom of information illustrates a sustained campaign against the flag raising, which was to happen on Nov. 15, 2024. "This is going to cause division in our city," wrote one person, whose identity is redacted. "I do not agree with this as this is a public space and not a political forum," wrote anothe r in a redacted email. Along with the vocal opposition to the event, city officials received at least four threats and multiple images of dead bodies. It's not clear whether the people sending the images and the threats were in favour of the event or wanted it to be stopped. Many details in the documents are redacted. What is clear is the decision to cancel the event came at the direction of then-mayor Sandra Masters. "The event has been cancelled for tomorrow at the direction of Mayor Masters," wrote Jennifer Johnson, the city's deputy city manager of communications, service Regina & tourism. CBC News has tried to uncover the details of what would be one of Masters's final acts as mayor. However, the records released in response to a freedom of information request are heavily redacted due to "advice, proposals, recommendations, consultations or deliberations involving officers or employees of the" municipal government. Flag policy At the heart of the controversy is the City of Regina's protocol and procedure for raising another country or organization's flag. Under that policy, there is an online form that asks the group's name and reason for the flag-raising, which is then reviewed by the office of city clerk Jim Nicol to make sure the criteria in the guidelines are met. The clerk's office won't approve flags from organizations considered "controversial, contentious or divisive," but the policy does state that "commemorative celebrations" of the independence or national days of other countries "will be approved" unless a similar request has been made within the same year. Timeline becomes clearer Masters's decision to cancel the event appears to have come at the last minute, according to every piece of information available. The city did not announce the decision until 3:52 p.m. CST on Nov. 14, the day before the event. Nicol had already held a press conference at 1 p.m. that day to discussing the results of the municipal election held the day before. At the news conference, Nicol was asked about the flag-raising policy. At no time did he mention Friday's event had been cancelled. The first reference to the event being cancelled comes in an Among the recipients are high-ranking executives at the City of Regina who worked to refine a statement that would be issued to the public just a few hours later. "To be clear — the mayor has seen this? Or had it read out loud to her?" Johnson asks. Masters's office would ultimately sign off on the statement. Documents show that Masters, the outgoing members of council, then-mayor-elect Chad Bachynski and the incoming members of council were informed of the decision and provided with a copy of the statement. Despite the cancellation, more than 100 people would show up to city hall on Nov. 15. WATCH | Protesters upset by cancelled Palestinian flag raising at Regina city hall: Media Video | Protesters upset by cancelled Palestinian flag raising at Regina city hall Caption: Protesters gathered at Regina city hall Friday, the day a Palestinian flag was to be raised before outgoing Mayor Sandra Masters had the event cancelled. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage. Unclear what power Masters had to make decision The current policy does not contain a provision allowing the mayor to unilaterally cancel a flag raising event. It's not clear how or why Masters was able to make that decision. "The Mayor confirmed she would handle any media if it comes in," Jennifer Johnson wrote. Masters's office did not respond to a request for comment from CBC News on Nov. 14. A few days later, Bachynski would be sworn in as her successor. Future of flag-raising policy up in the air The entire controversy may not have happened had Regina city council under Masters acted quicker to adopt a new policy put forward by Nicol. Nicol's new policy would restrict flags being flown outside city hall to the Saskatchewan flag, the Union Jack, the flag of the City of Regina, the Treaty 4 flag and the Métis flag, with few exceptions. The ceremonial flagpole would only be used to promote charitable or non-profit organizations like the Red Cross or The Girl Guides. The only exception would be if an accredited ambassador was coming to city hall to meet with members of council, in which case their country's flag could be flown. The previous iteration of council didn't get to the recommendation in the months leading up to the municipal election.
