A public health threat is lurking under your street, most likely.
Asbestos Cement had long been used to make water main pipes across North America and elsewhere. There are more than 600kms of the junk in Regina, yet there is no emergency plan to replace or quickly reline the toxic material delivering drinking water to most Regina homes.
“City says Albert Street underpass flooding issues will be addressed in 2021“
The bad news is that 2021 was 2 years ago, and problems keep happening.
“Pat Wilson, the director of water waste and environmental services for the city, said that the city would start working on the Albert Street underpass in 2021 and 2022.
“We have drainage projects going on all the time,” Wilson said. “Albert Street is a much more complicated situation to deal with, there is not space to have a detention pond there so we have much more challenging solution like underground storage which is also a much more expensive solution.””
In fact, a different costly storm drain problem just sunk in (pun intended) 20 blocks south of the underpass issue.
No word yet from City Hall if they’re considering my suggestion to install gates at underpasses that can be closed when flooding is forecast. Or flashing lights. Or at least signs warning drivers. Yeah, there are 0 signs indicating the underpass is subject to routine flooding during storms.
SR2249398 5 days ago. There’s a thunderstorm forecast for tonight.
Here’s the letter to the city:
Dear City of Regina,
I wonder why there are no signs at Regina underpasses indicating that they’re subject to flooding? You know, at some bridges how they have signs reminding people that they could be icy? It’s possible there are tourists or people new to driving under train tracks, and they aren’t aware that thunderstorms typically make too much rain to be pumped out to avoid vehicle-totalling flooding if someone drives into the water. SGI seems pretty annoyed that people keep driving into floods under Regina train bridges.
If you wanted to do a better job than signs, other ideas I’ve seen are flashing lights warning people to stop and detour. Or manually operated gates that police or city workers could swing into the street with detour signs on them, when the forecast calls for flooding.
-John
UPDATE:
>>>
Good Morning Mr. Klein,
Thank you for your continued patience while we gathered the information necessary to address the inquiry in the above-mentioned Service Request. We have completed our investigation and can now provide the following response:
The City is currently working on a pilot project that will see one of our underpasses outfitted with a level sensor that will be connected to the traffic lights and a message board. Once the sensor detects a certain level the traffic lights will turn red and stay red until the level sensor indicates the water level has returned to normal. At the same time, a message board will also indicate that residents are not to enter the underpass due to flooding.
If this trial is successful at the one location we anticipate that the City will invest at the other problematic underpasses.
We hope you find this information helpful. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact Service Regina by calling 306-777-7000 or through our Online Service Request Form and we will be happy to assist you.
Regards,
Kristina
>>>
Thanks for the reply. I was hoping it wasn’t forgotten.
Without recent rainstorms, the City has had a few weeks to get its ducks in a row (so they can float on the flooded underpasses).
While a lighted sign and a float sensor seem more expensive and less effective than a manually placed barrier, they’ll be better than nothing.
John
More bonkers than Saskatoon relying on Regina water test results, is that Regina’s testing isn’t comprehensive or well designed, and the conclusion Saskatoon is drawing is likely incorrect because Regina is getting it wrong too. Regina’s tests don’t align with American water safety standards. Canada’s standard is suspect due to political interference from our proximity to a Quebec Asbestos mining operation that lobbied the feds heavily.
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
John Klein - Regina 