Flegel announces plan for tax rebate

It’s crunch time for Regina’s mayoral candidates, who are expected to make announcements in the final week before the municipal election.

Jerry Flegel made a string of announcements Tuesday, including a plan to provide a tax rebate.

“I’m going to work to bringing a five per cent rebate to all businesses and all city residents,” Flegel said in one of his multiple announcements at the former site of Mosaic Stadium. “This will go against your 2021 taxes.

“The reason I’m doing this is because I’ve had people saying it’s not raining, it’s pouring. We’re in trouble. We’re having businesses close. We’re having families in distress. We’re having all kinds of issues. It’s time the city stepped up to help out the residents.”

Flegel’s tax rebate plan would require people to go through a process to apply for it, whether it be online or in person.

“Nobody will be denied, but everyone will have to apply, because we need to figure out who is applying. We need to make sure nobody will try to use it twice,” Flegel said. “Everybody in the city that has paid taxes has contributed to this. It’s time that the rainy day fund be implemented.”

Flegel also took the time to address the vacant Taylor Field land, including a plan to develop affordable housing units and a grocery store in the area.

“The more homes you build for the homeless and low income, your crime rate starts to go down,” he said. “You want to create an environment where people that are on the street want to have a place to live. They have pride. They have emotion for their property. They get a better sense of community.

“If we don’t start to build, that’s the only way we’re going to start to get out of COVID. We can’t be sitting on our hands anymore.”

Flegel described the area as being a “food desert,” saying there is an overall lack of grocery stores in the area.

“Here, there’s two grocery stores that are close to three miles away, or five kilometres, whichever way you want to put it,” he said as he pointed to the vacant land. “There’s one to the south here as well, but you have to cross over the railway tracks. And we don’t want people doing that.

“A lot of people don’t want to drive. They like to walk, they want to ride their bikes through this area (and) they want to just be able to walk to the grocery corner grocery store and grab some stuff and go home.”

The municipal election is set for Monday.