Absorbing or dissolving REAL on the table at Regina City Council

Regina’s city council is set to discuss the future of Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. during Wednesday’s meeting.

Council will look at REAL’s financial state, governance structure and community benefits while considering what path to take going forward.

Read More:

• How is Regina’s Brandt Centre attracting major artists?
• Downtown library for Regina inches closer, REAL gets $4m from council
• Council approves new mandate, changes for REAL

The motion brought forward by Ward 3 Coun. David Froh recommends that council chooses between fully or partially integrating REAL’s assets into the city, changing its business/governance model to provide more efficient use of services and public dollars, or even dissolving the municipal corporation altogether.

Newly appointed board chair Jaime Boldt said part of the board’s job is to find the best possible model for the organization.

“We’re sort of tasked with finding out the answer to the question: ‘What is the future of REAL what it’s what should it be?” Boldt told 980 CJME on Tuesday.

“I know we need some runway to figure that out. It’s not a silver-bullet answer. It’s not just one major event that’s going to save REAL, and it’s a combination of things that are going to need to happen. And at the end of the day, we don’t have that answer yet.”

Boldt and the other members of REAL’s new board were appointed in September and first held meetings in October. They took over from an interim board that was in place following council’s decision to replace the former board in November of 2023.

According to the motion submitted by Froh, a November 2024 report from the firm MNP stated that REAL would need to increase its revenues by about 30-40 per cent and cut labour costs by between 30-40 per cent.

Boldt said the board will look at all options for achieving sustainability.

“REAL’s situation didn’t happen overnight, and there are a lot of mitigating factors to why, and I think that as the board we’re tasked with uncovering that and looking future-focused,” Boldt said.

Ward 8 Councillor Shanon Zachidniak said she’s heard from many residents who want to see drastic changes happen in relation to REAL.

“All options are on the table and folks want to see changes happening quickly, too,” Zachidniak said.

“That’s the piece that’s a little more difficult, because we need to make sure that we’re making good decisions, but people are very frustrated with the continued requests for additional funds from REAL to manage all the different financial demands that they have. People want to see us do something much different.”

Both Boldt and Zachidniak acknowledged the difficult balance REAL must strike in providing services to the public while also keeping its head above water.

“The City of Regina is the one stakeholder that REAL has, and so we are accountable to the City of Regina, and I believe that we are working towards the same goal in partnership with them to find the way forward,” Boldt said.

Zachidniak said council should explore all possible options, but it might take time to determine the best course.

“I do think part of the solution, as noted in this motion, is for city council to continue to get more involved in oversight of REAL. That’s what residents are asking for,” she said, emphasizing that city taxpayers are footing the bills for REAL’s expenses.

REAL is also in the midst of its search for a new president and CEO. Former CEO Tim Reid was voted out by the interim board in January 2024. Roberta Engel has held the interim role in the meantime.

Reid was ousted after an investigation into the failed and controversial rebrand of Tourism Regina as “Experience Regina.”

If approved, the motion at council would direct city administration to bring back options on what to do with REAL within 18 months.

The recommendation would also direct REAL’s board to provide city administration with a monthly financial report.

REAL is host to events like the Canadian Western Agribition and Canada’s Farm Show, and is home to the Regina Pats.

Boldt noted that it has been difficult to get the ball rolling on events ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, but expressed optimism about REAL’s ability to book events, referring to upcoming performances by acts like Jelly Roll, the Beach Boys and Keith Urban.