Re-elect Andrew Stevens for Ward 3

Regina needs a new approach to addressing the crime problem that effects our community. This doesn't mean taking a tough, law-and-order stance. This means responding to the root causes, rather than forcing the Regina Police Service to shoulder all of the responsibility. For these reasons, I am proud to have co-sponsored this motion with my Council colleagues Murray, Bresciani, Findura, Mancinelli, Flegel, and Hawkins. For a snapshot of potential options before us, and the problems associated with the status quo, check out this important episode of the Fifth Estate, which was filmed in North Central, called "The Hood: Cops, Gangs, and the Community in the Crossfire." The solution ahead involves community engagement and community-directed initiatives, public education, anti-gang initiatives, poverty reduction, and other social determinant measures. It's time for the City of Regina to take a leadership role. There's no silver bullet, but we need to start somewhere.

In September I sent a list of questions to all registered federal candidates seeking to represent the various communities that make up Ward 3 (Regina-Lewvan, Regina-Wascana, Regina-Qu'Appelle). Those questions are listed below. Only one candidate responded: Winter Fedyuk (Liberal, Regina-Lewvan). 

The Recreation Master Plan (RMP) makes it clear that Regina needs to keep up with resident demands and to repair aging infrastructure. We can't just focus on roads. Advancing the RMP will take money and political commitment. That's why I'm pleased that Councillor Hawkins' idea turned into a broader discussion amongst Council, which then become a notice of motion sponsored by all eleven of us.

The World Resources Institute has made it clear that we need to "act before it's too late" in Saskatchewan when it comes to protecting our water resources. One quarter of the world's population is under "extreme water stress", and that includes our province, according to the Institute's recently published report. Managing how we use and re-use our water should be a priority at the municipal and national level. This motion I co-authored with Councillor Jason Mancinelli helps to confront this challenge.

When the City street sweeping crews hit neighbourhoods they do a good job, but parked cars and other obstacles results in patches of dirt and debris that can sit there for over a year. That needs to change. Towing and signage is great in some areas, like downtown, but not everywhere. A more expansive towing regime and better communication is needed to help the City keep our street clean. In this motion I ask Administration to take a look at ways of improving our current strategy.

Part of making Regina more walkable, accessible, and pedestrian friendly is, well, ensuring that we have sidewalks. With infill development, water line breaks, and the lead connection program in full swing, sidewalk excavation will certainly happen more often. City crews do a good job with their work, but it needs to be done faster. Residents with mobility devices shouldn't have to use the road and I shouldn't have to trip over the same damn demolished sidewalk on Victoria Avenue every year. This motion has the City examine the costs and possibility of imposing strict timelines when it comes to rebuilding sidewalks. 

The 2019 federal and provincial budgets were tabled within weeks of each other. Both contain some goods for Regina and municipalities across the province. Here are some of the highlights.

After a careful read of the 2014 parking study commissioned by the City, I agree that we need a new outlook on parking. That means improving service and the resident/customer experience, advancing parking technology, and taking another look at the overall policies. That should also mean re-thinking how we spend the money we collect in parking meter revenue. I believe that some of that money needs to be invested in the neighbourhoods where the revenue is generated. For Downtown, that could mean improving the streetscape, new economic partnerships with the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District, fixing sidewalks, increasing the number of bike racks, and other amenities. That discussion is long overdue and examples elsewhere in Saskatchewan suggest that a strategic use of these funds can yield both short and long term from a planning and infrastructure perspective. Here's my motion. 

A resident reminded me that the conversation about a bus stop or route to the YQR airport goes back to the 1980s. So what's the delay? Well, there are challenges, like cost and fears that there won't be sufficient ridership to make the route financially sustainable. But what about the hundreds of workers employed in and around the airport, and the role the Regina International Airport plays in YQR's broader economic development strategy? I think's it time to think about how to build a solution rather than focus on the problems. That's why I'm bringing that motion before Council this month.

Weekend transit service needs to improve, especially for para-transit users. What's been show is that when service and service frequency increases in certain instances, so to does ridership. The UPASS is one example. I want to know what can be done to improve Sunday service, and what it might cost. That's why I'm bringing forward this motion at Monday's (November 26, 2018) Council meeting.