There are 11 mayoral candidates in the 2024 Regina civic elections. 980 CJME sent out a Q&A to each candidate. The election is on Nov. 13, 2024.

Chad Bachynski

Hometown: Regina

Embarrassing playlist song: I don’t consider any song on my playlist embarrassing because they are songs that I like, so why should I be embarrassed by them! That being said… I do listen to a lot of Taylor Swift these days thanks to my Swiftie daughter.

Why do you want to be Mayor of Regina?

I am running for Mayor because I am frustrated with the dramatically increasing property taxes, poor accessibility with never-ending construction and a diminishing sense of safety and security in our city. My wife and I are raising our two young children here in Regina and I felt compelled to put my name forward and take action myself.

How do you plan to address homelessness, given it’s not solely a municipal responsibility?

I believe the city can play a role in connecting people with the services they need. I have learned that navigating these services when experiencing things like homelessness, addictions or mental illness can be extremely complicated and stressful. The city can help by continuing to enhance the coordination of these services and finding ways to bring these services to where people are. In addition, the city can use its platform to help address the stigma around homelessness in our community. Putting pressure on the provincial and federal governments is also important to advocate for appropriate funding, then working with local organizations to direct that funding to where it will be most effective.

What makes you hopeful?

The people of Regina make me hopeful. Growing up in Regina, I know the passion people have for their community. I believe if we invest in the right infrastructure and services, we can attract more people to make Regina their home.

What do you think should be the city’s priority given Regina’s upcoming major projects, the debt, and how do you plan to fund them?

In Regina, the immediate priority project is the replacement of the Lawson with a new aquatic centre. There is an approval and plan in place to move ahead with this project including the financing structure, with an opportunity to source additional private sponsorship dollars. This project is also highly funded by provincial and federal grants helping to offset the initial cost. It will be important to move this project forward in order to mitigate any further inflationary costs.

Do you have a talent few people know about?

I play a little guitar (I do mean a little) and I do some graphic design in my spare time.

What superpower would you want?

Definitely would be to fly. Commuting would be much faster!

What are the top three items you would address in your first 100 days as Mayor?

First I would meet with city administration and get a ‘lay of the land’. What are the priority projects we need to get done from their point of view.

Next will be to start building a strong council. At least half of the council will be new members and I believe it is important to get to know each person on an individual level to understand how they work best and how they make decisions.

The third would be to meet with stakeholders. This includes businesses and associations throughout the city to understand their world and how the city can support them.

How do you plan to address the challenges of population growth in areas like infrastructure, housing, and public services?

I believe as Regina continues to grow we need to be extremely strategic in how we plan and make decisions around this growth. I believe we need to do more to densify our downtown area in order to balance the population-to-infrastructure ratio. The more we sprawl our city, the more kilometres of roads and pipes you have to build and maintain and the further transit needs to go to accommodate residents. We must look to strategically densify in order to balance the cost of sprawl.

How will you engage residents to increase municipal voter turnout in Regina?

I am hopeful and excited to see the turnout this year. I feel engagement is high this year and I have spoken with many residents who have told me they haven’t voted in a municipal election before but they are going to this time. That paired with the number of candidates running in Regina this year I believe shows the passion people have for this city and the feeling that we need change and fresh ideas for our city.