Paul Dechene

I think this is a very good bet.
I also think we might see a return of the RPL partnering w/ a developer who has a plan for a downtown hotel/office tower/Hill Tower 4 in which the library will rent space. The community rejected the idea back in the day. There won't be much room for objection now.

Jun 7 2023 – Whatever Happened To "Growth Pays For Growth" YouTube video by PD City Hall — Paul Dechene

Following on my thread about Regina's massive future capital bill, here's a favourite council clip of mine: The moment Regina City Council realizes that growth never actually paid for growth. youtu.be/9chMMe99uQo?... #yqrcc

With a little bit of vision & grit, the RPL Central Branch project could have been done & dusted years ago. It could've been awesome & it could've cost a fraction of what it'll eventually cost in 2030 or beyond. #yqrcc

And city council's contribution has been to send the project back to square one every time it makes any progress.

It's the shit show that keeps on shitting. #yqrcc

Meanwhile, I do want to note I'm at the "pox on all houses" stage of my feelings on the RPL Central Branch project. This has lingered for way too long.

The RPL is feckless. The Friends Of RPL seem more of a rabid architectural preservation society than a library advocate. #yqrcc

It would be pretty galling if the city seriously entertained a proposal to enter a P3 on a baseball stadium while also turning down a chance to contribute to Central Branch. RPL is coming to the table w/ a lot of money. It's not like the city is building a library for them. #yqrcc

Should note… the $10mil for a ball park is just for a *park*. It doesn't say stadium. So if this is a like-for-like replacement of Currie Field? Maybe $10mil isn't so crazy? But I still think it's worth highlighting as there are Forces Out There who have bigger ambitions for Regina baseball. #yqrcc

What is on the 5-year capital plan and eating up city debt room is captured here…

#yqrcc

All those are projects outside the 5-year capital plan. How far outside? Dunno. #yqrcc

(Side note: the city is DREAMING if they think they can get away with only contributing $10mil to a ball park and $70mil to a hockey arena.) #yqrcc

Mind you… also on the list of capital projects that might require some city borrowing that AREN'T utility infrastructure are:
• a BALL PARK!
• Brandt Ctr replacement
• ring road rail relocation
• 2 MYSTERY projects!

Why do these make the list as part of recommendation to not do library?
#yqrcc

Like, we can't contribute to a library building b/c all our infrastructure is on the verge of flying apart? How fucking sad is that?

Lists like this make me think maybe we should just shut Regina down & try building a capital city somewhere else. #yqrcc

In justifying a recommendation to not honour a commitment to borrow capital funds for the RPL's Central Branch project, admin have listed off $764mil in capital water upgrades needed "beyond the 5-yr capital plan that might require some city debt."

Sure makes the city look broke, eh? #yqrcc

Sounds about right.

Well… declared a "heritage railway station by the federal government." I provide photo evidence b/c I find it hard to believe too.

Here's a zoom in. Google street view won't even get you very close to the passenger station. In the second pic, that's it waaaaaayyyyy off in the distance.

Here's where it's located. Far in the southeast. One of our mistakes was to stay in a hotel downtown — y'know, to make it a pleasant visit to experience Saskatoon's core. But that meant a stupidly high cab bill to the station.

These pics are from wikipedia. They do not capture the air of decrepitude that hangs over the place. Nor how utterly uncomfortable it is. And considering you could be stuck waiting there for a train that will be anywhere from 1 to 10 hours late, you'd think they'd try a little harder.

The Saskatoon train station is a modernist nightmare — sorry, "international style". It's in the middle of nowhere and it's completely run down. I'm learning from wikipedia right now that it's been declared a heritage building. It should be torn down. Erased from memory.

The trips ended up not being that much cheaper than flying, too. We had to take a buses to get to Sktoon, stay in a hotel until the *scheduled* departure which was near midnight, then take a cab to the Sktoon train station.

That last trip, w/ 2 very young kids, one bathroom was broken & reeked, the food available was an embarrassment. We were given a credit b/c of the delay. Never used it. Canada's passenger rail is an embarrassment.

Train brain is an expensive affliction in Canada Two days of my life are spent travelling 450 kilometres and back. That's just crazy in this day and age.

I'll never ride VIA Rail again. We tried taking the train between Saskatoon & Edmonton during the holidays for 3 years. The final trip to Alberta, the train got us there over 8 hrs late. We were told delays like this only happened out west. Sounds like, no, it's an eastern Canada thing too.

Seriously, can anyone think of a product category where such a high percentage of options sold are so poorly designed to do their primary job as bike racks? Can you imagine if 40% of corkscrews couldn't really open a bottle of wine? Or water fountains where it's basically impossible to get a drink?

Hey, Regina BSKY… do people still take their kids to model homes? If so, where does one go these days? #yqrcc

Are you kidding? I wish we'd hyperfixated on death MORE!

Next time…

Council instead worked from a list of potential service reductions (Appendix M13 — which was provided by city admin) and reduced the mill rate increase 10.90%. #yqrcc

Admin also identified 3.25% worth of budget enhancements. If everything admin wanted PLUS all the enhancements council wanted passed unaltered, that would have given you an 18.92% mill rate increase.

NOBODY ever thought this was going to be final mill rate. #yqrcc

Administration's *proposed* mill rate increase was 15.69% which represented the funding shortfall after they'd presented their optimal list of services for the year.

Me and every other city hall reporter always said this was NEVER going to be the final mill rate. #yqrcc

I've been seeing folks on facebook & reddit claim that council passed an 18% property tax increase for 2026. THIS IS NOT TRUE.

The mill rate increase was 10.90%. I have a hunch I know why people are living under the misapprehension. #yqrcc

Feb 26 2026 - Growth Plan — Queen City Improvement Bureau Don't know if you've heard but the ol'Queen City is growing! Growing like a weed in the summer! Growing like hope in playoff season! Like fondness as a heart grapples with absence. And to manage al...

This is the second episode we've released this week. You can also listen to our conversation with city-admin muckity-mucks Deb Bryden & Luke Grazier about Regina's new Growth Plan. This was also a super fun conversation. #yqrcc queencityib.com/podcasts/202...