Andrew Stevens Ward 3

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.

I've submitted a notice of motion to the March 27, 2017 session of Regina City Council seeking information about the feasibility of a Class Trip Program for Regina. Here's the language of the motion.

Heritage Regina is looking for board members. Email [email protected] to learn more.

On March 13, the City of Regina officially unveiled the Landfill Gas to Energy Facility, which uses waste gas from the landfill to generate electricity.

The City of Regina will be making improvements to the intersection of Lewvan Drive and 13th Avenue. Find out more at the public information session on March 2 from 4-8PM at 1717 Elpihnstone Street (Regina Sportplex Fieldhouse).