Survey says: Reaction toward downtown arena for Regina mixed

The majority of respondents to an online survey about a downtown Regina arena seem to want to sink the rink.

The results of the survey, released Thursday, showed 53.1 per cent of the 8,096 respondents believe a new 8,000-seat events centre for the city isn’t needed at all.

Nearly 23 per cent of those surveyed said the facility is needed but not downtown, while 21 per cent said it was needed downtown.

Asked if they thought the downtown events centre was an important priority for the city, 56 per cent of respondents strongly disagreed and 12.5 per cent somewhat disagreed. Only 26 per cent agreed.

The survey noted that the downtown facility was ranked as the fourth priority by the catalyst committee among proposed projects, behind a non-vehicular trail system, a new indoor aquatic centre and a modernized library.

Asked for their thoughts on that ranking, 51.4 per cent of the online respondents said the arena should be removed from the list altogether, 24.6 per cent said it should be ranked higher, and 24.0 per cent said the ranking was correct.

A second survey was done, with 1,000 people from across the city being contacted and asked the same questions. That group — comprising 100 people from each of the 10 wards — was a little more receptive to the idea of a downtown rink.

Of those respondents, 34.6 per cent said the facility was needed but doesn’t belong downtown, 30.3 per cent said it wasn’t needed at all in the city, and 29.8 per cent said it was needed and should be built downtown.

Asked if they thought the downtown rink is an important priority, 28.3 strongly disagreed with that notion, 25.4 per cent somewhat agreed, 18.2 per cent somewhat disagreed, 15.4 per cent strongly agreed, and 12.7 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed.

As for the rink being ranked fourth behind the trail system, new pool and new library, 39.7 per cent of the people in the scientific poll said the ranking was right, while 30.2 per cent said it should be a higher priority and 30.1 per cent thought it should be removed from the list altogether.

Both surveys asked people what would encourage them to visit the downtown more often, with more parking, free parking and improved safety leading the way – although “nothing” also received significant support.