Tag Archives: buses

Bus, Pool, Computer Pity The Foo’

Dear City Clerk:

Hello, this is John. I’ve fed the Catalyst Project into a computer, and produced a monologue in the style of Tommy Douglas responding to the City of Regina’s proposed downtown event centre from the Catalyst report and how money would be better spent on addressing lead and asbestos water pipe remediation and affordable housing. Here is my delegation for City Council.

I am unable to attend, could the following please be read to City Council?

My thanks,

John

=====

Your Worship, City Councillors, my fellow Reginans,

I have read with great interest and concern the report of the Regina Catalyst Committee, which recommends building a new multi-use pathway, multi-purpose event centre, aquatic centre, and central library in downtown Regina. The committee claims that these projects will revitalize the city’s core, attract private investment and create jobs.

But I ask you: at what cost? And for whose benefit?

The report does not provide any clear explanation of who will pay for them. It does not address the potential impacts on traffic, parking, noise, pollution, or heritage preservation. It does not consider the needs and preferences of the residents who live and work in downtown Regina. It doesn’t significantly consider Indigenous peoples’ input.

And most importantly, it does not acknowledge the urgent social and environmental challenges that our city faces.

Friends, we are living in a time of crises. A time when thousands of our fellow citizens are struggling to find affordable housing, when hundreds of our children are exposed to lead and asbestos in their drinking water, when our public services are underfunded and overstretched.

These are not luxuries. These are necessities. These are human rights.

And these are the priorities that we should focus on as a community.

We do not need a new event centre to entertain us. We need decent homes to shelter us.

We do not need a new aquatic centre whose funding depends upon a grant intended to improve our transit system. We need clean water to drink.

We do not need a new central library that tears down the old, instead of renovating the historic and well-located building we have.

These are the investments that will truly revitalize our city. These are the projects that will create lasting social and economic benefits for all.

That is why I urge you to reject this report and its recommendations. I urge you to address our human needs. I urge you to stand up for what matters most: people over profits, justice over vanity, democracy over bureaucracy.

Sincerely,

John Klein
Regina, SK

Advertisement

How Would You Fix Arcola Ave. for $42,300,000 or Less?

City Council unanimously approved a plan to spend more than $42 Million on making traffic on Arcola Ave. worse. Yes, you heard me, worse. That wasn’t their intention, but Councillor Stadnichuk brought up the problem, and still voted with the pack to make the mistake.

“Direct Administration to bring a supplementary report to City Council
during the 2023-2024 budget consideration, that will include the following:
a) The financial implications to capital planning of the redistribution of
$42.3 million from long to medium term project planning to
expedite the expansion process for the Arcola Avenue corridor”

The City will consider the potential financial implications of building more infrastructure for specifically privately owned, single-occupant motor vehicles, but wasn’t directed by Council to consider the sustainability implications. That’s likely because it violates the Energy and Sustainability Framework’s “Big Moves” related to transportation.

“b) The potential financial implications of adjusting the SAF model to
account for increased costs due to expedition of this project.”

“While the Framework provides an ambitious community-wide plan that will require sustained effort from all sectors of the community, the City of Regina will play a leadership role in modelling the changes and behaviours that are required to reach our goals through advocacy, partnership, awareness/education and direct action in the municipal operation.”

If we’re not addressing transportation with sustainability in mind, why’d we pass the Energy and Sustainability Framework? The Council’s “ambitious community-wide plan” couldn’t even be sustained until even their very next two ~$100M transportation decisions. They took over a hundred million from Transit to build a pool facility, now they’ve assigned nearly that much again to expanding freeways and turning lanes for car drivers with nothing for cyclists or pedestrians or transit users.

My trust is damaged from Council’s inability to implement the crucial Framework. The City Admin is telling Council to implement a plan at least 6 years old, instead of looking to the future with a Framework passed this year.

Here’s an insight by Councillor Bresciani that I hope she takes to heart with her ability to first spend millions on improving transportation infrastructure for either people on bikes, or people in single-occupant motor vehicles who are costing the city more than we can sustain.

The City’s website asks, “Who’s Listening“. Here’s who, with contact info:

====

Speed limits for Arcola were changed a few years ago, and had no apparent impact on the number of collisions because the number is still far more than 0 every week.

New Council

Regina has a new City Council, and it looks like the majority of them favour action on the Renewable City motion. Even the anti-Renewables Mayor Fougere was defeated.

Ward 6 has a new Councillor.

https://www.facebook.com/110084244149454/videos/639068370140266/?tn=%2CO-R

There are bound to be interesting Council meetings coming up, too bad they’re on Wednesday afternoon when people are working. Good luck having the public engaged.

There is so much to do, but first I think overpriced bus fares need to be addressed.

Saskatoon Ahead of Regina on Electric Transit

Years ago a BYD electric bus from China toured western Canada. St. Albert bought some on the spot. Regina Transit said they wouldn’t pursue zero emission transit until their new bus barn is constructed.
The federal government provided money to build that facility, but a location wasn’t sited, and nothing has been started even years later.
As a result, Regina Transit isn’t well positioned to support the 100% renewable city motion of 2 years ago, to have emissions cut to net-zero by 2050.
Last year I was told by a City Hall admin that Transit was investigating natural gas vehicles. That’s disturbing. It was literally the 1990s that the City of Regina had natural fossil gas vehicles in their truck fleet, and obviously they weren’t continued. There’s no excuse to look into that technology at this point with battery costs falling to record lows.

Earlier this year.