Regina mayoral candidates hold events after nominations officially close

Two Regina mayoral candidates held campaign events the day after nominations closed for the municipal election.

On Thursday morning, mayoral candidate Sandra Masters released her campaign platform. She said she has four main areas she's focusing on: improving city operations, building a safe community, creating jobs for people and creating fair opportunities.

"We have accepted the status quo for too long," Masters said. "Together, we can realize our potential to be one of the greatest cities in Canada, to define and celebrate ourselves and to tell our story."

Masters said Regina needs more investment, economic development and a stronger sense of safety, and that current leaders have given more symbolism and promises thanaction.

She said she'll focus on eliminating inefficiencies at city hall. She said taxes have risen 36 per cent in the past eight years, but thatthe value taxpayers get is not worth the extra 36 per cent. She said she would also implement multi-year budgets to help predictability.

Masters said she believes there is waste everywhere and told a reporter with the Leader-Post there is probably waste at his job as well. Masters said after eliminating the waste and having the extra money, it would be refunded into services.

"I know from talking to multiple organizations and businesses, there is money needed for investment. Take a look around. There's money needed for infrastructure. And so it's a matter of freeing up money that's intended to invest in making our city vibrant and beautiful," she said.

Safety is another focus of Masters' campaign. She said the Regina Police Service needs to be properly funded and supported, as do community organizations.

"I do not believe in defunding the police," Masters said. "Without interjurisdictional relationships and interjurisdictional programming between the province and the city and community organizations, including the police, we're not going to deal with the things that keep costing us a whole bunch of money right now."

Masters said working with the provincial government is key to helping support social services and the mental health calls police respond to.

Masters said she also plans to build relationships with Indigenous people and organizations, explore opportunities with biofuel and renewable energy developments, and eliminate the 29 per cent intensification levee to bring in more business. Masters said she's also looking at rail lines.

"I will initiate negotiations with the provincial and federal government to relocate the rail lines out of the city. And I recognize this is bold, maybe even audacious, as some might say. But frankly, we need to do something," Masters said.

Fougere campaign event focuses on eliminating homelessness in Regina

On Thursday afternoon, incumbent Michael Fougere held a campaign event where he said implementing the Regina Plan to End Homelessness continues to be a priority.

The 'Everyone is Home A 5-Year Strategy to End Chronic/Episodic Homelessness in Regina' plan was released in June2019. Fougere said the city is continuing to implement the plan and has invested $16 million in housing projects.

The housing first model in the plan provides people with a permanent, stable home then provides wrap-around services such as mental health or addictions services to meet their needs.

"The best way to help someone feel better about themselves, get their feet on the ground is to give them stable permanent housing and then evaluate what their needs are," Fougere said. "Stabilize the individual."

Fougere said there is no doubt thathousing first saves money. He said city estimates say there are about 2,000 people who are homeless in Regina.

He said it's part of a poverty-reduction strategy by the city in partnership with the federal and provincial governments. The pandemic has affected the implementation but not the need, he said.

"It just means that we need to have conversations of how we can support in the future," Fougere said.

At her event earlier in the day, Masters said the Regina Plan to End Homelessness would be folded into her anti-poverty plan, but that it didn't go far enough.

"Homelessness is actually only one factor of poverty. Poverty includes addictions, mental health, education, food insecurity. Homelessness should fold in underneath an entire strategy. I don't think you can solve homelessness without addressing any of those other things," she said.