Good day to you. Happy Monday!
Recent Prairie Townscapes Articles
In case you missed them, here’s what we’ve been up to recently —
Now off to the races…. This Week at Regina City Hall
Tuesday, October 3, 4:00 pm - Regina Planning Commission
RPC23-25 Zoning Bylaw Amendment & Official Community Plan Amendment –Provincial Capital Commission PL202300131
Lands southeast of the intersection of the Ring Road and Wascana Parkway were removed from the auspices of the Provincial Capital Commission, bringing them into the jurisdiction of the City of Regina.
The city’s zoning bylaw and official community plan must be amended to accommodate a proposed long-term care facility on this greenfield land across from Sask Polytechnic.
RPC23-26 Concept Plan Amendment; Zoning Bylaw Amendment; Discretionary Use – 1501 West Market Street – PL202300102, PL202300103, PL202300104
The review of this item became so long (and spirited) that it turned into a separate article. Click here to read Opinion - Westerra Weakens its Main Street.
Wednesday, October 4, 9:00 am - Executive Committee
EX23-70 2024 Council and Committee Meeting Calendar
We’re essentially one year out from the municipal election period. Next year’s City Hall meeting calendar is being proposed ahead of time as a result.
While it’s more or less status quo in terms of meeting times and dates, some options include taking the entire month of August off.
Personally, I hope Council continues to work in August.
EX23-71 Sale of Utility Parcel to SCEP Centre
There is a proposed sale of a strip of land for $1 to SCEP - a not-for-profit daycare, to increase the size of their playground. There is an interesting backstory about how SCEP was moved out of the Alan Blakeney Adult Campus and acquired this new site on 5th Ave North, and later volunteers from “Hydrants and Hearts” agreed to build their playground but found the size of the yard to be on the small side.
EX23-72 Application for Title - 2023 Liens
Serving six month notices for enforcement on some properties with property tax arrears, and cancellation of $5,700 in taxes owing on other properties deemed uncollectable.
The steps taken prior to proceedings for title for the typical property listed in Appendix A are as follows:
1. 2022 property tax notices were delivered with property taxes due and payable on June 30, 2022. Taxes on properties with supplementary notices were due December 31, 2022.
2. Unpaid 2022 taxes went into arrears January 1, 2023.
3. The properties were advertised in the Leader-Post on February 11, 2023.
4. Interests based on a tax lien were registered on the various title(s) to the properties at the Land Registry beginning April 12, 2023. […]The next steps in the process are:
1. Seeking Council approval to serve six-month notice to the property owner and other interests on the property title of the City’s intent to take title of the property if taxes are not paid (which is pursuant to this resolution).
2. After a required six-month waiting period, Provincial Mediation Board consent is sought and their consent is required prior to final application for title.
3. When Consent is issued by the Provincial Mediation Board, the consent is registered on the title of the property and a final 30-Day notice to the property owner is served.
4. Transfer of title to the City of Regina.
The list in Appendix A is quite long, at 14 pages. It will be interesting to see what the City does with all these properties, should they end up in municipal hands. To me, this would seem like an opportunity to develop some infill housing, helping to achieve the city’s infill goals.
EX23-73 Rogers Communications Cell Tower Lease - 2102 Edward Street
Rogers wants to put up a 35 meter cell tower on city-owned land near the corner of 13th and Lewvan Drive, right next to the newish cycle path.
The tower enclosure will be located 3m from the existing multi-purpose path and the ground view will be partially hidden by existing trees. The tower is approximately 35m in height and is located approximately 56m from the nearest residential property which is further than 52.5m required by the new protocol.
There was nothing I could find about whether the cell tower will have one of those cool “fake tree” disguises, or if it will just be gunboat grey.
EX23-74 Indigenous Framework
Administration’s report notes that “there is not a cohesive and dedicated organizational wide strategy that entrenches and applies an Indigenous worldview to the City’s services.”
In a departure from the usual tone and formal register of these reports, it continues —
It’s imperative we enshrine this perspective into everyday work through practices, policies, and procedures. The Indigenous Framework will provide informed fundamental guiding principles and direction for the City, which will last as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the waters/rivers flow.
After the events of this summer, you might be surprised to learn that
The City of Regina recognizes that Indigenous peoples have lived through many injustices perpetrated by governments that have left a legacy of mistrust and poor relationships. Colonialism, the theft of lands and knowledge, and the many other harms perpetuated by the colonial state have fractured relationships, which now make journeying down a mutual path together very difficult. The fact is that the colonial state actors have attempted to forcefully assimilate, displace, and systemically erase Indigenous Peoples from this place, perpetuating grave injustices, inequities, and fatal consequences.
I will refrain from further commentary on this complex subject aside from noting that the recent camp removals are not discussed anywhere in this report.
EX23-75 Fire Master Plan Update
Another subject for which administration recommends no longer delivering a report to Council but instead just posting it online. (Another report was updates on the lead service connection program).
The report attached contains several interesting aspects of how the fire department is managed, other various initiatives, and important statistics.
Also included, a damning sprawl statistic —
It’s not clear to me where the push to no longer present reports to Council is coming from. We have witnessed a lot of time-wasting antics from this Council, and if more time is required to consider the actual business of the city, that might be an opportune area to tighten the schedule.
Last Week at City Hall
Minutes are not published yet. Check back on the Prairie Townscapes website for updates to this article.
Alright, that’s it for this week!
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