Andrew Stevens Ward 3

In the May edition of the Regina and District’s Chamber of Commerce newsletter, ChamberLink, the Chamber’s CEO takes aim at a particular City Councillor who has questioned the current split between commercial and residential property taxes in our City. Residential ratepayers contribute about 63% of total tax revenue compared to non-residential (commercial) at 37%. After Saskatoon, this is one of the lowest ratios in Canada. As the Chamber CEO, John Hopkins, writes

Here are a few highlights related to the DRAFT 2016 Public Accounts, which were made public on May 5. The document will be reviewed at the May 9 Finance and Administration Meeting. 

Here's some information about the Travellers Building at 1833 Broad Street.

I've received some complaints about noise, especially in the downtown area. Here's some information about our noise bylaw and how to lodge a complaint.

Here are a few thoughts about Councillor salaries and the Budget 2.0 meeting on April 10, 2017.

As a consequence of the provincial government's decision to suspend grants in-lieu of property taxes for certain Crown Corporations, the City of Regina is now required to fill an estimated $11 million gap in our municipal budget. That's about $8 million this fiscal year. Minister Harpaurer suggests that cities should simply dig into their reserves to fix the problem. In the long-term that would be irresponsible. It's also indicative of the provincial government's lack of knowledge about how municipal finances actually work. Here's a summary of how reserves work.

Even though the government has backed down from the outright sale of Sasktel, the threat of privatization (49% or 51%, it doesn't matter) is real. And what we've learned from the recent budget is that public enterprises that serve an important service but yield no financial returns, like STC, will simply be scrapped. That's why we need to take a stand against the threat of privatization. In Regina, where the largest Crowns are headquartered, this is important.

That's why I have submitted the following motion to Regina City Council for consideration and debate at our April 24th meeting (see the motion below). Please consider encouraging other members of City Council to support the motion and to show up on April 24th as a delegate to voice your thoughts. You need to notify the Clerk's Office by April 19th if you wish to attend and speak ([email protected]). 

I look forward to hearing from you (306-570-1402 or [email protected]).

Last night (April 6) I hosted my third community council meeting at the Artful Dodger in the beautiful Heritage neighbourhood. The theme was Community Safety and Parking. This was inspired by Ward 3 resident, Lauren Steele, who suggested the idea. Representatives from the Regina Police Service, Parking Services, and Traffic were on hand to take questions. Matt Flagman, who helped to launch a parking space sharing service called Offstreet (www.offstreet.ca), was also there to help promote his new app. Here are some take-aways:

The City of Regina is looking for student researchers/archivists as part of an oral history program related to Canada 150. Specifically, collecting the stories of 150 Indigenous participants from the community. Details below.

Let's be honest, civic politics isn't about making people happy, it's about minimizing dissatisfaction. Here's an example.