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The name of one of Regina’s longest and most controversial roads won’t change.
A motion to rename Dewdney Avenue was defeated 7-3 at Wednesday’s city council meeting.
Councillors Andrew Stevens (Ward 3) and Dan LeBlanc (Ward 6) brought the matter before council in light of Edgar Dewdney’s legacy as Indian Commissioner.
LeBlanc cited the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation, which stated that Dewdney used the threat of starvation as a negotiation tactic during treaty negotiations with First Nations.
Dewdney was also a key supporter of the Indian Residential School System.
“Naming a street after someone is not simply a way of remembering in the City of Regina, it’s a way of celebrating,” LeBlanc said during the meeting.
LeBlanc cited strong Indigenous support for renaming of the street.
“I would say we cannot continue to celebrate Edgar Dewdney, given what the Truth and Reconciliation final report says, given the important call that the FSIN has made for this,” he said.
Ward 1 Coun. Cheryl Stadnichuk voted in favour of the failed motion alongside LeBlanc and Stevens. Ward 8 Coun. Shanon Zachidniak was not present for the vote.
Ward 9 Coun. Jason Mancinelli said he would support the motion were it just for changing signs. However, he expressed concerns about the potential financial burden that citizens and businessmen would have to shoulder in terms of changing their information for things like credit cards, signs and addresses.
“If this was a one-kilometre street or a bay or a circumstance like that, there’d be no hesitation in my mind whatsoever,” he said.
“It’s the actual physical characteristics and the outcomes and the number of addresses and the number of people put to a type of displacement in their everyday life that is going to cause me not to support this.”
City manager Niki Anderson said preliminary research shows costs wouldn’t be the main obstacle, although there is some variability with costs for commercial buildings.
Debt limit increase
Council is going ahead with its request to increase the city’s debt limit from $660 million to $890 million.
With all members of council present, the motion passed 7-4, with councillors Lori Bresciani (Ward 4), Landon Mohl (Ward 10), Terina Nelson (Ward 7) and Zachidniak voting against it.
This means the city will request approval from the Saskatchewan Municipal Board for the $230 million increase.
The boost could help fund projects like the proposed Indoor Aquatic Centre.
“These are the kinds of projects which will define our city and the facilities which our children and grandchildren will have long into the future,” said Coun. Bob Hawkins. “So we have to do it right. It is costly, but it’ll pay off in the end.”
Before the vote, Coun. Nelson suggested the possibility of amending the recommendation so that the city’s debt limit can be proportionate to Regina’s population growth so that council doesn’t have to keep coming back for such requests.
“I’ve had a lot of discussions with people in my ward, a lot of people in the community. Living within our means has always been something that we try to talk about. We try to practice what we preach,” she said.
The city clerk suggested that administration and the city manager could come to subsequent meetings with a policy change report, as the decision still requires approval from the Saskatchewan Municipal Board.
Nelson said she wanted to tie the debt limit to something that’s tangible.
Nelson’s motion was defeated 7-2.
Emergency shelter
After hearing from several number of delegates, council voted unanimously to table discussions for the reconsideration of the permanent emergency shelter.
Shawn Koch urged council to approve an emergency shelter and also commit to building other ones.
“We don’t need one shelter, you guys. We need five,” he said.
“We need permanent supportive housing around all of that. We’re under such a massive crisis here and you guys just aren’t getting it.”
In June, council voted against purchasing property on Albert Street that would serve as the city’s permanent shelter to replace the temporary one at the Nest Health Centre.
Administration will bring a report to executive committee on Sept. 18 where a viable shelter location will be discussed. It will then go to the following week’s council for a vote.