Latest news with #SarahTurnbull
CTV News
24-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Indoor Aquatics Facility Project sparks debate among Regina city council
The biggest item discussed at Regina's executive committee meeting on Wednesday, both in scope and cost, was the Indoor Aquatics Facility Project. The debate centered around committee recommending that city council approve a total project cost for the facility of $285.1 million. A new report put in front of city councillors this week has increased the price tag of the new aquatic facility by $40 million. To fund these additional costs, it is being proposed $30 million come from the re-prioritization of projects in the 10-year Recreation/Culture Capital Plan. That includes $1.28 million from the city's outdoor dog parks to the IAF Project. Ward 5 Coun. Sarah Turnbull proposed a motion to take the $1.28 million from the city's outdoor pools budget instead of dog parks, but the motion was lost by a vote of nine to one. The allocation of the remaining $10 million needed for the facility is proposed to be added to the city's available debt funding, increasing it from $146 million to $156 million. According to administration, the extra $10 million added to the city's debt would result in an increase in taxes of 57 cents per median household per month. Ward 10 Coun. Clark Bezo was not satisfied with this number figure though and motioned to table the IAF discussion until September during budget meetings, so that administration could provide a more thorough dollar figure on Regina residents' debt and tax bill. That motion was lost by a vote of eight to three, with Bezo, Ward 1 Coun. Dan Rashovich, and Ward 2 Coun. George Tsikilis voting in favour. A handful of delegates were at Regina City Hall to make their case for the aquatic facility to move ahead. Cyril Dorgigne with Regina Water Polo and Water Polo Saskatchewan claimed that Regina can't currently support national and international water polo competitions due to the small pool size at the Lawson Aquatics Centre and that the new facility will allow the city of Regina to host such events. 'We are the only top 10 club in the country that cannot host national finals, because we need two feet of deep tank and right now, we can only have one in Regina,' he said. Tracy Moser, the president of the Regina Piranhas Summer Swim Club, said there is limited pool space in Regina for competitive speed swimming. This summer, the club was forced to use some of the outdoor pools in the city due to a six-week closure of the University of Regina indoor pool. She said this challenge would be mitigated with a new aquatic facility. When questioning Moser, Bezo suggested putting a roof onto the recently renovated Wascana Pool. 'We've got Wascana Pool which is a brand-new state of the art facility,' he said. What are your thoughts if we put a roof over that one and cancelled this project?' Moser responded that would be a waste of dollars and would not sufficiently support sports like competitive swimming and water polo. 'Wascana would not meet the needs that we are looking for. We need 50 metres of length, you would never be able to host an event at Wascana, first of all with a roof overtop of it.' Marj Walton, who is on the Indoor Aquatic Facility Community Advisory Committee, encouraged council to get the ball rolling when it comes to the facility, saying it is the mandate of a municipality to have a high-level indoor aquatic facility, and Regina is currently falling behind. The motion to approve the new estimated cost of $285.1 million was passed by a vote of eight to one, with only Coun. Bezo voting against. The decision still requires final council approval next week.
CBC
10-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Regina city council confirms residential building restrictions around airport
Regina city council has approved zoning changes restricting residential development to the west and south of the Regina International Airport. The change effectively stops the construction of the Harbour Landing North project, which aimed to develop a residential neighbourhood expansion close to the airport. The vote, a repeat of the third reading of the bylaw change after it failed to pass unanimously during a city council meeting on March 26, passed 10-1. Only Coun. Sarah Turnbull voted against the motion. Just before the vote, Turnbull introduced an amendment to defer the decision until after the federal election and more consultation with home builders. That amendment failed. The vote concluded more than a year of discussion and debate over the zoning regulations, which were centred around noise from incoming and outgoing aircraft. The zoning change still allows for commercial and industrial development within the restricted area, which Regina airport president James Bogusz has said he supports. In an interview on Monday before the vote, Bogusz said he was hopeful it would go through and the airport's future development wouldn't be hindered by the prospect of residential noise complaints. "We recommend strongly that Regina continues to enable lots of residential development. It's a huge benefit to the airport for passengers, great for our economy, great for our tax base. We just want them in the right place," he said. "This airport generates almost a billion dollars into the local economy per year. It is vital that we find compatible land uses, like employment generating uses, to be built near the airport." Stu Niebergall, the CEO of the Regina and Region Home Builders Association, said on Monday that his primary concern with the new zoning was how it impacted the broader picture of home building in the city. "We are very concerned that we are running into a time when we are running out of service lots to be able to construct new homes," he said. "If we do not see some new neighbourhoods approved, you know, in the spring of 2025, Regina really does run the risk that, pushing out to the end of 2026, 2027, we actually may have virtually no new spots for new housing to go into."
CBC
27-03-2025
- General
- CBC
'Recess is a right': Regina city council votes unanimously to update playground accessibility
Regina city council voted Wednesday to significantly update its playground accessibility requirements, paving the way for more playgrounds equipped for people with disabilities. In a unanimous vote, council directed city administration to update its definitions of "accessible" and "inclusive" playgrounds to make them more specific, and add several requirements for playgrounds to qualify for those new definitions. According to the motion, an accessible playground is one that is "easy for a person who uses a device to manoeuvre to and around." An inclusive playground must also meet the needs of a variety of other disabilities like visual impairments, cognitive disabilities and sensory sensitivities. All future playgrounds built in the city will be required to meet these new standards. "It started when I realized: recess. When I thought about recess," said Coun. Sarah Turnbull, who introduced the motion and whose daughter Blake is paraplegic. "When I thought about how recess is a right for everyone, and having to be sidelined at recess, and not just my daughter being sidelined at recess, but everyone around them being taught, 'that's how you treat people with disabilities.'" Regina has more than 150 playgrounds, but the city's website lists only seven as "accessible" or "fully accessible." According to Turnbull, adding these definitions and standards will align with the standards of the American Disabilities Act (ADA), which will actually make it easier to make future accessible playgrounds accessible, because major playgrounds suppliers base their categories of playgrounds around ADA standards. Half of all play elements on new playgrounds must now be accessible for people with mobility devices, and at most 15 per cent of those accessible elements can require a person to get off their device to use. Wood chips, which children in wheelchairs have difficulty navigating, will no longer be used. Play routes on playgrounds will be wider and made easier to use for people with mobility devices, and elevated levels are no longer a requirement. According to Turnbull, the long term savings of using rubber surfaces instead of wood chips outweighs the higher installation cost. In total, the other standard changes would lead to overall cost savings. A large delegation of parents and advocates presented to council in favour of the motion. Vanessa Rodriguez-McVety, vice chair of the Regina accessibility committee, praised the changes. "Meeting people where they're at is extremely important," she said. "Supporting children with disabilities can be extremely isolating, and not being able to bring your children to play with other children is extremely heartbreaking." Andrew Schmidt from the First Steps Wellness Centre, a non-profit that helps people with disabilities, said the new playgrounds will also help non-disabled children. "Accessible playgrounds promote early stage exposure for all children to see what disabilities are like," he said, citing disability challenges within his own family. The motion also directed city administration to study the creation of an accessible indoor playground within the recreational master plan to present for the next municipal budget. City council will also discuss a $1-million refurbishment fund for upgrading current playgrounds when it meets to discuss the next municipal budget.
