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Regina councillors frustrated as meetings drag on while items pile up

Regina City Councillors are publically expressing their frustration as regular meetings have become multiple-hour-long marathons running late into the night.

This fallout comes after the council ended up tabling a motion to rename Dewdney Avenue last week. Ward 6 councillor Dan LeBlanc said, “I am going to move a tabling motion to the next meeting in hopes an odd number of people show up.” Councillor Cheryl Stadnichuk responded by saying, “Let’s just vote on this instead of wasting two hours debating, we’ll get the same result.” The motion was tabled after 13 individual delegates spoke on the motion, many of whom waited over seven hours to present. By the end of the presentation, councillors Mohl, Mancinelli, Hawkins, Findura, and Mayor Masters had left the meeting.

Six councillors voiced their frustration by speaking to CTV News.

“If I was a delegate I would be extremely frustrated,” Ward 7 coun. Terina Nelson said. “To leave the people who spent hours waiting to speak have the discussion of renaming Dewdney fall short of making a decision, I feel very frustrated and sad for how hurt they must feel.”

“Any situation where we have residents waiting for hours to speak at council is problematic,” Ward 8 coun. Shanon Zachidniak said. “I find all those scenarios to be disrespectful of residents’ time and I’m certain it negatively impacts residents’ belief that their voice makes any difference.”

“There’s no sense in doing stupid things,” councillor Jason Mancinelli told council Wednesday. “If you’re wondering why I talk about it being a polarized room, pay attention to the faces around council right now.”

“People need to embrace the face these are meetings that are going to go for full days,” Andrew Stevens said. “Just acknowledge that.” He continued, “Whoever is running in the fall should recognize – this is what they’re getting into,” he added.

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Complex needs shelter to open in Regina, Saskatoon this week

Two fifteen-bed complex needs shelters will accept their first patients in the coming days.

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Tim McLeod said, “We’ll be accepting our first patients in just the days ahead. We’re likely going to do a staggered approach, with the Saskatoon and Regina facilities to ensure a smooth transition as we add these facilities into the existing system.” Regina’s is set to open any day while Saskatoon will open early next week.

Ten months ago, the province announced $40 million in funding for these spaces. Both of the two spaces will be staffed 24/7 by nurses, security personnel, and support staff. Edgewood Health Network Canada will supervise the shelters.

McLeod clarified that the only people accepted into the shelter will be those detained under the Summary Offenses Procedures Act saying, “Given the nature and the complexity of some of the addictions that people are battling with, and the toxicity of the drugs in the community, we’ve recognized that some of those individuals when they pose a risk to themselves or others, require medical supervision.”

In Saskatoon, the shelter will be located in a former government liquor store on the 1700 block of Idylwyld Drive. McLeod spoke to the concerns raised by councils and stakeholders saying that individuals will not just ‘come and go freely,’ stating, “Each facility… will have their own executive director. And those executive directors will have ongoing responsibilities to not just maintain the building and the operations, but also to maintain positive relationships with surrounding businesses and community partners.”

McLeod spoke exclusively with CKOM and CJME and the full story can be viewed here.

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Young people trending away from Trudeau

The Prime Minister and his Liberal government are not popular in the country right now.

A new study conducted by Abacus Data tracks the vote intention and top issues of young Canadians, aged 18-35. This young voting group includes first-time voters and the data shows they have the cost of living at the top of their minds.

The report states, “Young Canadians also appear to be disproportionately impacted financially—they are more likely to skip meals or reduce food quality to save money (37%) and express challenges paying bills on time (36%). Further, they are more likely to resort to selling personal items to help cover their day-to-day expenses (29%).”

According to the study, “The rise in support for the Conservative Party aligns with growing concerns among younger Canadians about housing costs, the economy, and the overall cost of living. Young Canadians are disproportionately affected by the housing crisis and are more likely to prioritize economic issues over healthcare, immigration, and climate change. Inequality and poverty also rank high on their list of priorities.”

The top issues for voters under 35 are the rising cost of living (67%), housing affordability (53%), and the economy (33%). Other issues included healthcare, immigration, and poverty and inequality.

Young people view the Conservative Party as best equipped to tackle the challenges that are important to them on every issue. When it comes to Healthcare, the NDP ranks first, and on the environment, the Greens are top of the list. Those issues are not in the top four ranked by young voters.

Pierre Poilievre’s simple language strategically planned to target the issues top of mind to voters is making him and the Conservatives the top choice for young voters.

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More news and info

• Saskatoon police arrest two with machete, a knife, and bear spray in Mayfair neighbourhood (CKOM News)

• Both sides claim victory in Venezuela election (CTV Saskatoon)

• Saskatoon’s Wiens wins bronze at Olympics (SaskToday)

• Who’s next? The contenders to replace Trudeau (National Post)

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