Bar Willow co-owner supports catalyst committee’s strategy

Between the controversial launch of Experience Regina and numerous concerns raised over the catalyst committee, Regina city council has been met with a heavy amount of criticism of late.

Activist groups, residents and some businesses have spoken out against major catalyst projects, such as the proposed downtown multi-purpose event centre.

But for one business owner who owns a downtown property, the catalyst committee’s downtown revitalization plan sounds quite appealing.

“You can’t stay in the past, you have to look towards the future,” said Darren Carter, managing partner of Bar Willow Eatery and Beer Bros. Gastropub. “And it is true that we have a few facilities in our community that are hitting or getting near (their) end of life use. So we do have to make plans for those opportunities that are coming at us.”

Carter, 52, has been working in the service industry since he was 14.

“(You) might call it an accidental job or career destination,” he said. “I think I was planning to do something else but I just sort of fell in love with this and never left.”

Carter has been operating Bar Willow in Wascana for 18 years. Beer Bros. was launched 15 years ago, but the downtown location shut down during the pandemic.

As a business owner in the downtown area, Carter said he understands some of the concerns people have about building.

“Will there be change? Yeah. And was it difficult for some? Absolutely. As an example, we have a downtown location that has a building next door undertaking a massive renovation. That’s a great investment in our downtown,” he said.

“Is it absolutely crushing my business downtown? For sure it is. Is it a terrible placement? Absolutely. But you’ve got to look to the future and see the positive (of) what will come out of that.”

Carter is a former board member of Restaurants Canada — a food service non-profit. He said his time on the board informed his support of catalyst initiatives like the downtown multi-purpose event centre.

“I had an opportunity to experience the type of investments that they’re talking about in other communities, specifically in Los Angeles where the Staples Center was built well over a decade ago,” Carter said.

“The transformation of the area’s absolutely unbelievable in terms of opportunity, growth, employment, and most importantly, safety because of these types of projects being centred in their downtown.”

He argues that if catalyst projects succeed in making downtown Regina more lively, a greater number of people there will make the area much safer.

Carter also mentioned that places like Winnipeg and Edmonton have benefited greatly from major downtown capital projects.

However, some researchers and economists have cast doubt on the idea that multi-purpose event centres produce aggregate economic benefits to cities — especially privately owned ones.*

Carter said they have plans to reopen the downtown location of Beer Bros. in 2024.