Masters explains why ‘I Love Regina’ sign was removed

The “I Love Regina” sign was removed from in front of City Hall in May of this year, and now we’re learning more about why.

The sign was posted on City Hall property in 2004 and was designed to help people shift their attitude towards the Queen City. Former mayor Pat Fiacco created the campaign when he was running for the city’s top position.

On Thursday morning, Mayor Sandra Masters says various departments within the city now are looking to rebrand the image.

“The communications branch and the marketing branch for the City of Regina had decided it was time for a refresh, so they’re working with Economic Development Regina and Tourism Regina to come up with a more cohesive approach to the city brand, something (that’s) reflective of our personality,” she explained.

Masters noted this is a common practice for cities that deal with these types of things.

“I think it’s a natural progression in a city to want to come up with things that describes themselves better to the outside world,” she said. “Right now they’re trying to come up with something cohesive so that when we’re going out and talking about our city, there’s something (new).”

While the sign has been gone since May, Masters explained there haven’t been many complaints about it being removed.

“When it first came down, nobody noticed. It was down for weeks before anybody noticed and really my office hasn’t heard very much about it,” she said.

According to Masters, an announcement on a new campaign or rebranded sign could come over the next year.