Council to vote on members of committee to help shape 'catalyst projects' for Regina's downtown

Regina city council is set to vote on whether to approve a large portion of the committeethat could help shape the city's downtown core on Wednesday.

The catalyst committee will be made up of 16 members, drawn from council members as well as representatives of private industry, business improvement districts and social agencies in Regina.

At its Wednesday meeting, council will be asked to approve the committee's terms of reference, and approve 14 of its16 members.

Thecommittee, which city council'sexecutive committee votedto create last month, is named after proposals dubbed "catalyst projects" because they're meant to generate growth, development and private funding in the city.

The committee will likely bea significantpolitical entity because of thescale of the projects it will bein charge of.

They include an aquatics facility that would replace the aging Lawson Aquatic Centre, a possible replacement for the Brandt Centreand a feasibility study for a multipurpose outdoor facility geared toward high-performance baseball.

The committee is intended to make sure the possible developments are developed in tandem, rather than being siloed from one another.

The 14 members for the committee whom council is being asked to approve include co-chairs Bob Hawkins, the councillor for Ward 2, and Tim Reid, CEO of Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL).

Couns. Lori Bresciani(Ward 4)andAndrew Stevens (Ward 3) will round out the council representatives.

The other members proposed for the committee are:

• Tiffany Stephenson, whoco-chaired REAL'sarena strategic planning committee.
• Lisa McIntyre,Regina Downtown Business Improvement District board of directors.
• Jeff Boutilier, vice-chair of theRegina Warehouse Business Improvement District.
• Chris Lane, president and CEO ofEconomic Development Regina.
• Jeff Keshen, president of the University of Regina.
• Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen, CEO ofYWCA Regina.
• Edmund Bellegarde, former tribal chief and CEOof theFile Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council.
• Cindy Kobayashi,Regina Public Libraryboard of directors.
• Ruth Smillie, former artistic director of the Globe Theatre.
• Kyle Jeworski, president and CEO of Viterra.

If that list is approved, two spots would remain open, with the committee'sterms of reference specifying one must come from thedevelopment, real estate or construction community, and the other must represent"next-generation leadership."

The committee will meet at least once a month.

A budget for the scope of work which council was previously told will include broad public consultation will need to be prepared within 60 days of the committee's commencement.

Along with the budget will be a proposed timeline that outlines the key stages of work proposed by the committee.

The committee will have to act quickly. It must prepare a report by the end of 2022 and the committee itself is set to bedisbanded by March 31, 2023.

Council's Wednesday meeting is set to begin at 1 p.m.