SaskPower announces $7 million to improve reliability in downtown Regina

SaskPower says it will spend more than $7 million this year upgrading its electrical system in Regina's downtown to improve reliability.

Theannouncement comes on the heels of alarge power outage Tuesday morning that affected many homeowners and businesses in Regina.

The outage seemed to be concentrated in the southern half of the cityand hitseveralneighbourhoods, including downtown, the city's General Hospital, Broders Annex, Whitmore Park and Hillsdale.

In a news release Thursday, SaskPower said itwill be replacing downtown underground cables, switches and duct banks through the summer and fall.Construction crews will also replace or remove other equipment that is at or near the end of its life.

"This work will help bolster the reliability of the electrical grid and help pave the way for the future," said Shawn Schmidt, vice president for SaskPower distribution and customer services.

"This work will also help reduce the number of outages for several areas of Regina and will eventually help our crews locate and resolve outages faster in the future through smart technology."

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters saidthe news is welcome,both due to safety concerns and for businesses.

"In terms of the pandemic, in that kind of transition into working from home, maybe some more residents and businesses are affected [by the power outages]. Itliterally shuts down work for hours for employers here in the city as well," said Masters.

"So it's about investing in an aging infrastructure. We're looking to grow post pandemic, to have an economic boom and a speedy recovery, andinvestments like this are definitely going to help with that."

Judith Veresuk, executive director of the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District(RDBID), said they are thrilled with SaskPower's investment in the downtown area.

SaskPowersaidthere may be planned power outages and traffic disruptions periodically over the summer and fall, but that itis aimingto conduct work downtown with minimal impact to customers.

Power outages can be frequent in the QueenCityand often affect thecentral business district.

"I think it's as normal ascan be expected given the age of some of the infrastructure. But it's definitely an inconvenience," Veresuk said."We are all very excited to see that investment coming and hopefully reduce the number of outages."

Benefits to the downtown economy

Veresuk said downtown Regina is poised to handle the traffic detours and other communication needs that come with construction.

"We do haveexperience, having done infrastructure communications last year and the year before that with Victoria Avenue. So this will be just an extension of the communication process that we typically use in the summer."

Veresuk saidtheRDBIDwelcomes the construction crews.

"Last year when the construction workers came downtown for work on Victoria Avenue, there were a lot more folks in our coffee shops," Veresuk said. "It was great for those coffee shops and lunch spots to see workers back downtown."

Masters echoes Veresuk's enthusiasm over having workers return to Regina's downtown core, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

"This is putting construction folks to work, which we know they're down in numbers in terms of employment.So from a construction worker perspective, that's fantastic," Masters said.

"Putting bodies into our downtown, supporting our downtown businesses ... we couldn't ask for anything better."