Regina Mayoral candidates enter spotlight for debate

Nine candidates took to the stage on Wendesday to make the case for why they should be Regina’s next mayor.

The two-hour debate was moderated by Lisa Peters and hosted by AccessTV and the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce.

All candidates were present except for Bob Pearce and Nathaniel Hewton, who is wanted by RCMP for an assault charge.

Candidates discussed topics ranging from fiscal responsibility, affordability, safety and homelessness.

As mayor, how will you and your council ensure transparency on how tax dollars are spent?

Shawn Sparvier said technology like artificial intelligence could help keep track of city expenditures and provide live updates for the public.

Melina Bushenlonga said she would ensure tax dollars go towards the right projects and decisions, which would improve the quality of life for residents.

Chad Bachynski said Regina needs clear and comprehensive documentation, noting that the city received a B in a 2023 C.D. Howe report on financial transparency. He said there needs to be more public sector accounting standards included in budgetary items.

Kevin Kardash said the public should be in favour of decisions before they go ahead. Kardash also pushed for televised, newspaper and social media updates that help inform the public, and said taxpayers should be given an exact breakdown of projects.

Bevann Fox said she would use quality assurance to ensure tax dollars aren’t wasted on plans that aren’t working.

Rod Williams said he wanted to roll back council’s decision to increase its debt limit.

“That dangerous act or path could cripple this city for decades, and I will have no part of that,” Williams said.

He also said money for Regina’s planned indoor aquatic centre could have gone to feeding people in need or giving them a home.

Bill Pratt said he was committed to setting a new standard of transparency. Pratt said if he’s elected his meeting calendar and phone logs would be shared with the public for the sake of accountability.

Pratt also said he wanted to produce a quarterly report on key performance indicators.

Lori Bresciani said her experience on council has taught her the importance of engaging with the public, which she promised to continue to do if elected. Bresciani said she will ensure the city’s financial decisions reflect the Regina’s priorities.

Sandra Masters touted her hiring of an internal auditor as well as creating a “very strong” audit and finance committee. Masters also said she’s pushed for the production of quarterly financial statements to hold administration accountable to budgets.

What steps will you take to address homelessness in Regina?

Sparvier said he would like to see the aquatic centre built with a First Nations community centre on it, including a warming shelter and a food centre.

“We have to make the homeless problem a little more visible than what it is, but in a good way,” he said.

Bushenlonga said the city needs to sit down with the provincial and federal governments and work together to address homelessness.

Bachynski said the city can leverage its platform to address the stigmas surrounding homelessness. He also said he’d put pressure on the federal and provincial governments to adequately fund programs and services to help people in need.

“The city can help connect services and make navigating an extremely complex system easier and meet people where they are and make it easier for them to access the services that they need,” he said.

Kardash said homelessness is a major problem in every major city in Canada. He said it’s crucial to ensure people have a place to stay.

“I would put it in the budget to make sure that we have the funds to have homeless shelters and warm-up shelters during the winter months, and work with the Ministry of Social Services and levels of government to make sure that we don’t have no more homeless encampments,” Kardash said.

Fox said more wrap-around resources are needed to support a housing-first model.

“It’s already getting cold out. It’s the end of October and I see homeless (people) with nowhere to go,” she said.

“There are empty buildings in Regina. Why can’t we use them as shelters?”

Williams said contributing factors such as mental illness or a loss of work need to be addressed in the fight against homelessness.

“The hows and the whys of how it happened to them, that’s not for us to judge. It is wrong. There’s a lot of good people who have found themselves homeless or at the food bank,” Williams said.

Pratt said key partners and stakeholders should be brought to the table to address the issue. He recommended expanding Regina’s tax base as means of getting more funds to address issues like homelessness.

Bresciani said it will take a collaborative effort by all levels of government to take on homelessness, and said she’d work with government agencies and community organizations to help Regina’s most vulnerable residents.

The candidates also fielded questions about crime and safety, as well as what they would do with the Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL).