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As details keep surfacing and concerns rise about the Brandt office building going up in Wascana Park, two Regina city councillors are ready to push for a public inquiry into the project.
At Monday night’s city council meeting, Bob Hawkins and Andrews Stevens are set to introduce a notice of motion to have the mayor send a letter to the Premier, the Minister of Central Service, and the chair of the body in charge of Wascana Park, the Provincial Capital Commission (PCC).
The letter would ask for an independent public inquiry into “all aspects of the application for the construction of the proposed Brandt office building in Wascana Park.”
Hawkins said he wants this because he’s concerned about the project and he has been for a while.
“You know that something’s wrong when an office building is being built in a park — there’s lots of space downtown for office buildings.”
The notice of motion asserts that the Brandt building project has been shrouded in secrecy and that there’s concern due process hasn’t been followed. It also lays out a short timeline of events, going from the CNIB wanting to replace its one-storey building, to now when a four-storey Brandt building is going up, and some worry it won’t follow approved park use rules.
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Hawkins hopes, with the letter, the provincial government will feel the public pressure, an inquiry will be struck and get all the information it needs, and that it will make recommendations urging that the park is only put to proper uses.
“I think something is wrong here, and I think that we need to get to the bottom of this. I’m worried that this could set a bad precedent for future buildings in the park,” said Hawkins.
Previously, under the Wascana Centre Authority, the City of Regina had an equal say in what happened in the park along with the University of Regina and the provincial government.
In 2017, Wascana Park was moved to be under the authority of the provincial government and the PCC, though the city and university are still consulted.
Hawkins says that move was a red flag.
“When you have three partners and it takes two of the three to make decisions, that’s more protection for the park than just a situation where a provincial government has the entire influence to make changes.”
According to Hawkins, the park is very important to Regina and the province, “it defines the city.” He also said we have an obligation to protect the park for future generations.
Another motion
Two other councillors are also putting a notice of motion forward at Monday’s council meeting.
Barb Young and Mike O’Donnell have their names on a motion for a letter to be sent to the province, asking to be provided with the processes required for development in the park along with which have and haven’t been completed for the Brandt building. It also asks for any other info on developments in the park to be made public, and that the government go on to share the PCC’s work with the public.
Similar to Hawkins and Stevens’ notice, Young and O’Donnell’s states the importance of the park.
The second notice also points out that the City of Regina is a partner in the maintenance the funding of the park, and it says there’s a lack of public information about ongoing activities and that this has raised public concern.
