REGINA - During Wednesday’s city council meeting, business owners within 1600 Halifax Street, the location of Regina’s new emergency shelter once again raised concerns regarding outside safety for the area and receiving compensation.
When city council first approved the shelter back in Sept. 2024, part of that approval was implementing a neighbourhood maintenance compensation program for businesses within 250 metres of the shelter.
Resolution number 10 of the motion mentioned determining eligibility for expenses incurred due to the shelter. These included "additional lighting, cleaning, graffiti removal, private security, security cameras, increased insurance premiums due to claims for damage, decline in property value due to the presence of the shelter [and] decline in revenue due to the presence of the shelter, etc," as stated in the motion.
However, during the Jan. 29 city council meeting, Mayor Chad Bachynski moved an amendment to reword resolution number 10 of the motion.
Part of the resolution now said, "invest in infrastructure that supports best practices in safety and environment design principles, including Crime Prevention Through Environmental Designs (CPTED) to create a safe environment for the residents, businesses, and property owners."
Additionally, authority would be given to the city manager and/or their designate to develop a Good Neighbourhood Plan (GDP), which would focus on problem solving, dispute resolution and communication.
The changes didn't mention any potential compensation for businesses affected by the shelter.
While this was happening, the city hosted community notice meetings with residents, businesses, and more.
One of those people in attendance was Bobby Krznar of LK Auto Collision, who attended a meeting on Jan. 28, the day before the city council moved the amendment.
"You say you want to include us [in the discussion], but the facts are there in the dates. You clearly don’t care about our businesses or our employees. Decisions made without us are not a democracy, but rather a dictatorship," he said during his delegation.
Steve Klippenstein of SJB Holdings noted "by removing resolution number 10, the city removed all of its responsibility to the businesses and put all the costs back onto the businesses, without any consultation from those that are affected."
Many business owners mentioned the need to ensure safety to employees and customers in the surrounding area, as it’s their responsibility.
Part of that safety concern is what occurs outside of the shelter’s property. Sandra Archibald of Arch Transco Ltd. pointed out that during the focus group meetings held in late Jan., the Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services Inc. (RT/STS), which will operate the shelter, informed her the organization is not responsible for any security along the surrounding streets and alleyways of the shelter.
Additionally, any drugs or weapons that a person is carrying into the shelter will be locked up for the night. However, said person can take back the drugs or weapons the following day, meaning the surrounding community is at risk.
Business owners mentioned the Oskana Community Correctional Centre as a good reference point for dealing with outside security.
"There is [a lot of] great monitoring that happens within that facility. So, not only do they monitor their own clientele, they also monitor the outside public," said Klippenstein.
With all their input, delegates wanted city council to delay the motion until all their concerns were addressed in the report.
Council’s decision
Ward 4 Coun. Mark Burton put forward an amendment that the "report be tabled and administration be directed to conduct further consultation with the community and services providers to address their concerns and prepare for a supplement report that includes the results of the consultation."
City manager Niki Anderson noted by tabling the motion, this gives city administration the ability to come back in front of city council and the delegates "to talk about the work that we continue to do."
Councillors asked city administration whether tabling the motion would delay opening the shelter by July, which they said it wouldn’t.
There were also discussions about how the community can be further engaged in these dialogues. City administration referenced part of the motion, which will establish "a community-based advisory committee that meets regularly, including relevant partners, RT/SIS, Regina Street Team, Regina Downtown Business District, Heritage Community Association (HCA) and Regina Police Service (RPS)." This will help provide advice and direction from the community for the GNP.
Additionally, the HCA will serve as the single point of contact for the GNP. City administration will also work to define the specific roles of the GNP for the city, RT/STS and the HCA.
After their discussions, city council voted 11-0 to table the report during the March 26 executive committee meeting.
After the executive committee meeting, Bachynski spoke to reporters about the dialogue they had with business owners.
"[it was] the first [time] we've heard a lot of the comments in this setting [as new councillors]. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that it was a great opportunity to take it away, and get some more clarity and make sure that we're hitting the mark in terms of engagement with the community."
Bachynski was also asked about the change to the resolution, where he clarified the reason for the rewording.
"The intent of the amendment was actually to open that up [referring to clarity] to make sure that, you know, all options, depending on the engagement that we did [and how that] would be on the table."
He noted the changes didn’t resonate with businesses, which emphasized the importance of continued community engagement.
