‘It’s a people place’: Business owner optimistic about Scarth Street renewal

After running a business on Scarth Street for more than 50 years, Ron Dorey is excited to see its revitalization go through.

The owner of Cornwall Optical has seen the area go through numerous transformations, including when Scarth Street used to run all the way from College Avenue to Saskatchewan Drive, which was known as South Railway Street at the time.

Dorey joins a chorus of voices who want to keep F.W. Hill Mall on Scarth Street for pedestrians only.

“In the late 1980s it was decided to close Scarth Street to vehicle traffic and I believe at that time, that was an excellent decision,” Dorey said.

“And to this day, I do not believe the streets should ever be opened up again to car traffic. It’s a people place and I think we need to maintain it that way.”

An image of the redesigned Scarth Street in the summer. (City of Regina)

Dorey said the City of Regina has done a good job of listening to the concerns of business owners on Scarth Street.

He said the redesign doesn’t need to be too intricate as long as it replaces some of the old, worn-out cobblestone and becomes an environment welcoming to people.

“This mall area here, now is over 30 years old. I don’t know of anything that can not need a renovation with 30-plus years,” Dorey said.

Design plans for Scarth Street in winter. (City of Regina)

Last week, the City of Regina released its proposed conceptual design for the Scarth Street Mall.

After several rounds of public engagement, the city highlighted the feedback it received, which included a desire to keep the Scarth Street Mall pedestrian-only, more all-age events and activities and improved accessibility.

“People are looking for a Scarth Street Mall that is vibrant, attractive, has a reason to bring them there, places to sit and enjoy events and activities and has better interaction with the businesses,” said senior city planner Kim Sare.

“It’s just a great part of our downtown.”

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She said the city plans to follow through with the public’s wishes to keep the area pedestrian-only, but it will continue to consider how to manage movement and parking nearby.

She added that the city has looked to cities like Ottawa, Montreal, St John’s and Edmonton for inspiration.

“There’s a number of places that have pedestrian-only spaces, or spaces that predominantly pedestrian in certain times of the year that we certainly looked at,” she said.

“There’s a lot of differences around these spaces and so we picked and chose some things that make sense here in Regina and are looking to replicate those, but also recognizing that Regina is unique.

“It’s a combination of what works here and what works best as well as drawing inspiration from other places.”

Sare said activities and events are intended to draw more people to the location and the proposed seating arrangement is meant to accommodate individuals and larger groups.

The city is continuing to collect feedback on the draft design until Feb. 4.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2027.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct a misspelling.