How is everyone's summer going so far? It's been very hot and dry so far, which can be considered both good and bad, depending on your outlook. Good that we can be outside and enjoy the evenings without mosquitos, the sunny days in the park getting some rays and hit Milky Way for that cool, refreshing treat! Bad, however, for those of you who rely on precipitation for a livelihood. The fact is that farming is a way of life in Saskatchewan, and this hot, dry weather would be great if it was split up by a few odd days of rain in between to help the crops grow big and strong. In contrast, however, last year was a virtual monsoon which didn't help the farmers much either, so it's really a balancing act.
How about your kids? Have your kids been hounding you that they are "bored" already? I remember when I was younger, it would only take a week or two out of school until I was already looking for something exciting to do to keep the summer from dragging. Well, GREAT NEWS everyone!!! We brought it to you in 2012 and 2013 - and we are so happy to hear through the grapevine that the Jurassic Attack MONSTER RIDE TRUCK is coming back to the Queen City for another summer. This time, they'll be here giving rides in a more permanent location, on Eastgate Drive by the old Maxwell's Amusements - the old North Star Motel lot - SEVEN DAYS A WEEK!!
That's right, ladies and gentlmen, for the low, low cost of $10 per ride, you can give your kids the experience of a lifetime and let them blow off some steam.
This is FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY folks!! Starting this week until September 30, so get out there often, because you know the summer will fly by before you know it.
There have been some comments made by our Mayor and Council Members in the past few days that are pretty concerning, regarding the proposed strip club that the Regina Planning Commission approved (Councillor O'Donnell was one of those voting members), and City Council subsequently denied. These comments, coupled with a review of the January 26 City Council Meeting, bring up some serious questions that few have asked, and certainly deserve further attention.
The first comment I refer to is Mayor Fougere speaking to how a "future application" may be granted. For those that aren't aware, the applicant for this strip club is from out of town, and thus would be considered to be an "outsider" by many. This is important because of the fact that City Hall is well known in the development industry to be "less than cordial" to outsiders. Outsiders are given a much harder time when wanting to develop in Regina, than say, Harvard Developments or Dundee Developments. One prominent example is that of Wascana Village, which is looking to develop just outside of Regina. I recall speaking to the developer at one meeting, where it was made very evident that they wanted to do some work within the City of Regina, but it was made virtually impossible and they were given many roadblocks that they had not experienced in any other jurisdiction where they had developed previously.
What is concerning to me is what could possibly be that "future application". If you review the City Council Meeting video (available on the regina.ca website), you will note that City Council members focused far more on the actual business plan, than whether or not it fit with the required bylaws and guidelines. Was this to gain more of an understanding of a business venture they (or friends/associates) might be looking to get into? Was this to force an impression that this kind of industry was not welcomed in our City, but may be "in the future" when they (or their associates) have their business plan ready to go? What, exactly, did this application lack, that a "future application" may include that will meet the very-discretionary judgement of City Council?
Given Council's reputation for not giving into the "vocal minority", it is very difficult to believe that they would simply give in to a few delegations and a petition that is certainly lacking in any validity, in comparison to those of say the WWTP or the Stadium petitions and pushback. This leads me to believe that there is certainly an ulterior motive in their decision on Monday. If this is the case, there are even more questions than there will ever be answers.
In the end, the big questions that have yet to be answered:
What, exactly, was lacking from this application?
What could be done in future applications in order for Council to approve it?
After everything is said and done, the point of these applications and subsequent approval or denial is to learn for the future. If Council is unwilling to provide recommendations for future applications, and leave so many questions in the air, then they should not deny any such application. Simply denying because it is "unsavoury" behaviour (their words) is not in their jurisdiction. Simply denying because they don't like the idea of acknowledging an industry that is already very prevalent in Regina is not in their jurisdiction. The fact of the matter is, as a business - a legal one at that - let the residents demonstrate if they want this in our community or not. And, not by a select few attending a meeting, but by providing support in the form of patronage. If enough residents support the business idea, then the business will be successful. If they do not, then the market has spoken, and it will have to close.
Finally, Mayor Fougere, and other Councillors, made it perfectly clear on January 26. They claimed they didn't see much public support of such a facility. I'm not sure which sand dune they had their head buried in this time, but could the same not be said for the WWTP and Stadium projects? Where was the public support there? Mayor Fougere claimed that those in support of projects "don't go to rallies". This is selective listening at best, and if they truly wanted to hear from the public, well, now they are getting their chance through the Petition that has quickly garnered over 2,000 signatures in only a matter of days. Far more signatures than those that were submitted to Council on January 26 in opposition to this application.*
*Note: Councillors claimed that there were "thousands" of signatures on submitted petitions. If you review the Council documents, it appears there were more like 200-250 that signed the three petitions (in total) that were circulated, some of which were even duplicate signatures.
UPDATE: A Petition has been created (not by myself, I've merely signed in support) to encourage Regina City Council to listen to the voice of reason on this decision, and reconsider this application which was in accordance with all known legislation and bylaws.
In a historic decision on Monday night, Regina City Council voted 9-1 to DENY the application to open a strip club in our great city. This is historic for many reasons, but a major reason that few are talking about is the fact that City Hall basically just overruled the Provincial Government (remember their best buddies in the world, the Sask Party?), who in January 2014 introduced new legislation allowing alcohol to be served in an adult entertainment facility.
I want to make it perfectly clear for all readers, that I am neither for or against strip clubs. I'm not going to pretend I haven't been to them in my life, but I also don't make it a habit to attend them, as I have much better options for entertainment in my life. Same as why I don't frequent night clubs, the symphony or hockey games - they just aren't my thing.
For me, it is about whether or not the business meets the (rather strict) requirements set out. PERIOD.
City Council went against City Hall Administration's own recommendation to APPROVE the request, and went against their own bylaws by denying this application. Granted, for discretionary use applications, City Council does have the right to exercise their "discretion" of approval, but without reasonable justification, this is best used selectively. Otherwise,
what's the point of even having these kinds of bylaws in the first place?
There are some great observations already made by some of Regina's prominent media personalities, so I won't repeat what they've said, since they've done a great job at making points that I would just repeat here. Here are some of them:
Now, keep in mind, the idea of a Strip Club in Regina is nothing new. After all, we've had strippers in an established facility for many years in the industrial area. I don't think they are around anymore, but Regina has in fact been home to stripping for a long time already. The only difference here is the introduction of alcohol to the mix. Which every - other - part - of - the - developed - world already has, and have had for years, if not decades. I should add that I do believe the new legislation is actually even more restrictive than before, in that the strippers can no longer go fully nude.
Regarding the nineteen delegations (which I am sure are related to each other in one form or another - most likely all attendees of the same church), if
these people truly have a problem with the morality of strip clubs,
they should have brought it to the province's attention years ago. City Council should only
approve or deny based on the business
aligning with City bylaws and neighbourhood regulations, which to my knowledge, this application very much did. I have great sympathy for the business owner here, in that he jumped through all the hoops and hurdles already set out for him, and still they changed their mind at the very last minute - literally. I sincerely hope he is not out any money because of their decision, or he may very well have a legal case against City Hall.
Going forward, City Hall is setting a very dangerous precedent here. By no means are they forced to approve any application, but they ought to have
very good justification for denying such applications. Similar to the Official Community Plan guiding development throughout the City and them allowing developments that completely contradict that OCP. Oh...wait. They do that all the time!
Finally for today, personally,
I would much rather these clubs be in high traffic areas, than forced
into the remote industrial areas. This would provide a safer environment for
staff and patrons leaving the establishment. It would also reduce the
risk of questionable behavior happening outside of the club in a higher
traffic location.
On a sidenote, I have heard there were some pretty ridiculous statements made by none other than Wade Murray and a couple of my other "favourite" City Councillors. Things such as "this is a great day to be a part of a municipal government" and "this is the heart of Regina right here" (Referrring to the delegations I believe). Yet, when over 20,000 residents OPPOSED the Waste Water Treatment Plant, or the nearly 10,000 residents OPPOSED the Stadium Project, they were deemed to be the "vocal minority".
I find it very ironic how the very same kind of opposition can be viewed in such drastically opposite lights, given your own personal stance on a subject, I suppose.
Welcome to 2015 - officially the "future", if you're a fan of Back to the Future, as I very much am. No flying cars or hoverboards, however. Video phone calls, though - we do have!
You may have noticed a drop in the new posts on my page over the last few months. That is not by chance. I have chosen to remove myself from the political landscape since mid-summer due to life events, in an effort to see how it would affect my life. And, I am very happy to say, it's done wonders! Does this mean I'm done with the political world? By no means! It just means you'll be seeing much less on this page, and more on my "Chad4Regina Taxpayers" Facebook page. So, if you haven't "liked" my page yet, why not go do that now?
What's in store for this year? A whole lot of positive. What's in store for 2016? Only God knows!
Have a great 2015 everyone, and again thank you for all your support and encouragement.
What does the Sask Party and the City of Regina have in common? Aside from identical political views, they both favour developers heavily! So much so, in fact, that apparently the provincial government would rather side with a developer over tenants in a much needed, and much anticipated, social housing development in Hawkstone. See the story here: http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Mandryk+Government+favours+developer+over+tenants/10189940/story.html
What is most disheartening about this story is the statement by Donna Harpauer, the current Social Services Minister. She is either out of touch with reality, or not very well versed when it comes to interviewing with the media. She is quoted with saying "you're assuming there are desperate homeless people". This statement is just mind blowing. Even if you don't live in Saskatchewan, you're probably well aware of the housing crisis, and moreso the AFFORDABLE housing crisis. She had the gaul to claim that because her waiting lists have gone down, it can't be that bad. Thankfully, there are organizations like Carmichael Outreach that deal with people in these situations daily, and they set the record straight. The sad fact of the matter is, if the waiting lists have actually gone down, it's most likely because of people getting frustrated and not even bothering putting their name on it.
Then you have the City of Regina. Amazingly, the CBC has been doing an amazing job at uncovering a couple of stories recently, most notably the flawed recycling program. Apparently, Emterra, the multi-national corporate giant that came in and stamped on Crown Shred in a very unfair RFP process, hasn't been doing what they've been contracted to do. Glass has been going straight to the dump, and NOT being recycled as per their contract, and as they are being PAID to do. The story is here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/city-of-regina-hasn-t-been-recycling-glass-food-containers-1.2761004 . What's even more disheartening is the fact that the City of Regina claims they weren't aware that Emterra wasn't doing this, after falsely claiming there were contracts in place. Thank GOD the CBC dug deeper on this story, because they pushed and pushed until the real truth came out. And, then, as if the City wasn't digging themselves deep enough, they put out a Press Release claiming that CBC's story was false. CBC followed up on this, and in fact, confirmed that the facts they presented were true.
What is the end result of all this? Well, it means that the Governments need to start enforcing their contracts better, and start being held truly accountable for things they are falling very short on. Will the Province take Deveraux to court? Of course not, becaue they wouldn't dare "stomp" on them while they're down. But, apparently it's okay to "stomp" on taxpayers because they don't matter? And, will the City of Regina take Emterra to court for not abiding by their contract? Of course not. They wouldn't dare threaten the relationship they've developed with a Chinese company, or dare expose the fact that they've known all along that Emterra wasn't actually doing their job, and they turned a blind eye until the media started digging around.
Oh, and now the City of Regina is claiming that they need to raise taxes ANOTHER 5% just to fix residential roads. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/city-of-regina-looking-at-another-5-tax-hike-for-residential-roads-1.2761742 It's just too bad we don't have any other way to pay for those kinds of projects. Oh, wait, that is EXACTLY what they are supposed to be using their DEBT for. Not building unnecessary projects, like Mosaic 2.0 and the WWTP. Oh well, by the time the next election rolls around, who knows where we'll be and if it'll be too late to turn back the hands of time.
The only question is: Will this begin a full-blown audit and/or investigation into the goings on at City Hall? The $300M Pension Deficit was supposed to be fixed by December 2012, at least according to then-Mayoral-hopeful Michael Fougere during the 2012 Municipal Election. The City has been operating the Pension Plan illegally for over 3 years now, and it appears the Government of Saskatchewan isn't going to let that happen for much longer. It would appear that they, too, believed the lies that Mayor Fougere told the public during the election.
There are many questions that arise from this, the least of which is: How can we trust the City Manager, or any of the Senior Management team at the City of Regina, to manage the multi-million dollar stadium project when they failed miserably at fixing this issue? How can we trust them not to bankrupt our City? How can we trust them when they are failing their own employees who entrusted them to manage their retirement funds properly?
Most importantly: How did we get into this deficit? Mayor Fougere (or former Mayor Fiacco) would lead you to believe it is because of the market woes. Yet, we are alone in this kind of massive problem. In fact, as per the article, "such a situation of non-compliance is “unprecedented” in Saskatchewan." How is that possible? Well, according to some on the inside, there was a massive "retirement" package offered to about 400 City Employees in 2007 at the Turvey Centre. What lead to this is something that needs to be investigated, but rumour has it that this was one of the ways to "silence" the critics of Fiacco at the time, while allowing Fiacco to pad the Administration with the "yes men" that wouldn't question anything he does.
And, well, if you look at all that's happened since then, it certainly makes you wonder.
Since then, Fiacco's managed to get his dear Harbour Landing and Global Transportation Hub developed, which has conveniently lead to the development of Harbour Landing West (Devonia Park) in the coming months, where Fiacco and several business partners own(ed) land.
During those years, land prices also skyrocketed over 300%.
If this isn't enough reason to get an audit going, I don't know what would be. If the Wall Government feels it's appropriate to investigate the land transactions happening in the RM of Sherwood, where Reeve Eberle owns land, this should be raising red flags all over. The only problem is, not enough people are calling and demanding action be taken.
So, what can you do to get this looked further into? Simple!
CALL THE PREMIER'S OFFICE!! CALL YOUR MLA!!! CALL THE MINISTER OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS JIM REITER. DEMAND THEY TAKE ACTION!!
What the mainstream media won't bring you, we gladly will.
#1 - 2013 ANNUAL REPORT RESULTS
Last night, the Regina City Council accepted a report on the 2013
Operating Fund results. In it, there were two glaring displays of gross
incompetence on the part of our City's former Chief Financial Officer, current Stadium Lead, and Suspected Instigator of the recent failed Mental Health
Warrant against myself, Mr. Brent Sjoberg.
The first being the fact that we have a General Utility Reserve of over $85 MILLION which is set to remain very high over the next five
years, even after the repayment of $45M for the GTH utility extension (which is it's own topic for another day),
and the much debated P3 WWTP expansion. Add to the fact that a portion
of our utility bills currently go to the general coffers, and there is absolutely
no justification for the fact we pay 50-75% more than most other cities
on Western Canada.
Secondly, because we have such massive
reserves, there is absolutely no justification for the record Property Tax rate
hike this year, or the past several years. A responsible Municipal Government would
tap into these reserves or add to the debt before ever going back to the
taxpayers for more money.
VIDEO OF MY DELEGATION:
#2 - FORMER MAYOR AND COMPANY GET TAX EXEMPTIONS
Last evening,
Regina City Council voted on giving tax breaks to landowners that were
recently annexed into our City. It should be noted that included in
these landowners are our Former Mayor, his immediate and extended
family, his business associates and Corporate Developers such
as DREAM (Formerly Dundee), and Harvard Developments (Along with Forster
Projects owned by an employee of Harvard, Blair Forster). - It should also be noted that the planned projects by Forster Projects appear to be a driving force behind the entire Regina Bypass, but again, that's another topic for another day.
As
Founder of the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group, I am all about
FAIR AND EQUITABLE TREATMENT of ALL Regina Taxpayers. It is evident that
this was not respected by the City of Regina last evening, and while it
is truly unfortunate, it is also, sadly, not surprising. When you have a
fascist regime focused on capitalizing on taxpayer money, they will do
anything they can that the general public simply doesn't understand or
appreciate the gravity of.
I am here to tell you, which no
other outlet will tell you, your tax dollars are being abused and
assaulted by a ruling elite that think your tax dollars are their
personal bank account. They seem to be so arrogant that, while they could
easily afford the extra tax costs of being annexed into the City, they
requested to have these extra taxes exempted. This is pure greed, and
nothing less. Add to that the fact that it is suspected that many of
these landowners were the ones crying to BE annexed last year, and it
becomes evident that they want their cake and eat it to. On your dime.
(It is not evident as to exactly which landowners requested to be annexed, as
the City deems this to be "confidential information")
Then, add
to the fact that Former Mayor Pat Fiacco was key in orchestrating the
development of lands that were never intended to be developed for a
variety of reasons, that conveniently lead right to his lands and those
of close relatives, business partners and others, and you can see why I
have been harping so much on Mr. Fiacco and his illegal activities as
Mayor and beyond. In Ontario, there is a Mayor in the courts for fraud
over a $1,700 bill for his kid's wedding. Here in Regina, we have a
former mayor that stands to gain millions off the backs of hardworking
taxpayers, and the media, the Regina Police Service and others deliberately
ignore it, in the hopes that no one will catch on.
We live in a
pretty disgusting environment where this kind of activity can go on
underneath our very noses, and yet, the media plays dumb and wants
taxpayers to do their work for them and bring them the stories.
I should note that - I am perfectly fine with tax exemptions for innocent landowners that were annexed against their will, who legitimately cannot afford the tax rates of the City of Regina.
After a devastating fire last month, a good friend, Ryley Balon, lost virtually everything to fire, smoke and water damage. As if that weren't bad enough, he was already struggling to make ends meet living in our less-than-ideal Social Services system, and battling daily between having to pay for food or rent. I won't get into all the details here, but suffice it to say, our Social Services system is severely broken in that it is not possible for anyone to pay basic rent in today's inflated market, even with the "rental supplement" that the Government of Saskatchewan provides. Ryley has had to struggle each month just to figure out if he should take money out of his (very limited) food allowance to pay for the rental shortfall, or find other ways to pay for that rental difference. This is something that no one should ever have to deal with, no matter what their situation in life.
We here at the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group refuse to stand idly by while we witness such injustices happening in our own backyard. As such, we are proud to announce our FIRST EVER STEAK NIGHT FUNDRAISER to help out those in need of a hand up in our society. We firmly believe in helping those that are simply not able to help themselves due to the many shortfalls of our government programs. This will be the first of many such fundraisers, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to those impacted by these tragic situations. We have also been blessed to have been provided with $25 Gift Cards and 20% off future dining Gift Cards as door prizes, and will also be holding a silent auction. All proceeds from this particular fundraiser will be provided directly to Ryley in order to allow him to get back on his feet, providing much needed clothing, furniture, food and more. This is one of many ways that we plan on giving back to our community with absolutely no expectation of anything more than a "thank you" by those that we can help out. If the event does very well, perhaps Ryley can finally stop having to decide between food and rent - month after
month.
As a personal touch, I will hand deliver the steak night tickets to you, if you live in the Regina area.
Tickets are $25 each and will be held Wednesday, May 28,
2014 at Bocado's in Regina. Tickets are going fast! Please email for payment details.
We will also have door prizes and a Silent Auction on site. If you cannot attend , but still want to help out, please consider buying two
tickets and donating them for others that may not otherwise be able to
attend. If you are looking for an evening out, and cannot afford this, please send us your contact information, and we will add you to the list of potential donated ticket recipients.
We have already received tremendous response, so please act fast as tickets are limited!
It is because of rare situations like the tragedy at the Cornwall Centre two weeks ago that we get to catch a glimpse into the potential future of those that are destroyed by our less than ideal Social Services system in Saskatchewan.
I truly do feel for the families of the victims, but I feel even more for those that are tossed around in our system because our fucking government has nothing better to do with their time (and our money) than to pad their own fucking pocket books and those of their developer-friendly cohorts.
I sincerely APPLAUD the amazing folks out there, like our good friends (names withheld for their right to privacy), for doing their part in helping provide a better life for children stuck in this severely broken system.
It is amazing and rare that you get guardian angels like these people, that take the time to care for a child at any cost. They open their hearts, their home and their wallets to an amazingly gifted child who was born to an individual who has their own problems to deal with (not going to name specifics due to privacy). Our great friends spent the first few years of this child's life being the only parents that he knows. In my opinion, they rightfully deserve to be able to adopt him into their lives to be a permanent part of the family that he has known, and loves dearly, since only a few months old. Unfortuntely, solely because our great friends are of "non-aboriginal" descent, the aboriginal community has first rights to this child. No matter how long our great friends actually parent him, care for him, and love him unconditionally, they get the short end of the stick, as does their amazing blessing from God.
Our Social Services system is severely broken.
There are only two ways to fix it. Either DEMAND BETTER from Premier Brad Wall or Elect another party in 2016.
Enough is enough!!
UPDATE: This came across my Facebook feed late this afternoon. Another sad example of our severely broken Social Services program. MANY THANKS TO SPENCE BERGEN for stepping up and helping out where our system failed.
Two weeks ago Tuesday, I sent the following email to every member of the Regina City Council, Senior City Administration, the Ministry of Government Relations, my local MLA, the Premier, CUPE, the Media, and some amazing supporters and past acquaintances of myself and the efforts of those behind the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group. To date, not a single member has replied to this enquiry, even though they have assured the general public that they take every concern very seriously and want to make every effort to ensure that our crumbling infrastructure is taken care of long before the wants and desires of the few elite members of our great communities. (AKA The #yqrmafia)
This is evidence that there is absolutely no desire, on behalf of these politicians anyways, to actually proactively address our alleged $2 Billion infrastructure deficit.
The only thing that these individuals seem to care about is finding ways to exploit the needs of many in order to further their own distorted view of "capitalism" (which is actually Fascism). It is very easy to simply state that we have a massive infrastructure deficit. But it is far more difficult (for them anyways) to put (our) money where (their) respective mouths are and pony up when push comes to shove. As the saying goes, ACTIONS speak far louder than WORDS.
We must all ask ourselves - what do our City Council, City Administration, and Provincial leaders believe are more important to our province and our communities? Pet projects such as "Pat's Patio" ($14-24 MILLION City Square Plaza project developed on the backs of hard working taxpayers, effectively destroying any sense of community that the Regina Downtown may have had, also destroying the traffic flow and parking situation in Downtown Regina), "Mosaic 2.0" ($278M+ completely unnecessary, duplicate stadium project- awarded to PCL Construction, major contributors to Mayor Fougere's mayoral bid, and Premier Wall's Saskatchewan Party), and "P3" projects such as the WWTP upgrades ($230M+ - the "P3" however seems to stand more for Public (dollars) for Private Profit). Or desperately needed expenditures, like true infrastructure upgrades, fixing our crumbling roads, addressing the exhorbitant pension deficits and fiscally-responsible management of our municipal and provincial debt load, to name but a few.
It is clearly evident, Saskatchewan, that our politicians are waiting for the public pressure to be put on them, to demand their focus be on the needs of many, rather than the wants of just a few.
YOU DECIDE SASKATCHEWAN.
WANTS VERSUS NEEDS.
#CourtOfPublicOpinion
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Good afternoon members of City Council and Senior City Administration,
Thank you once again for taking the time to reconsider the projects that are currently proposed under the Local Improvement Program. As a very concerned taxpayer, and a representative of the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group, it brings me great pleasure to provide recommendations
of viable alternatives to address our crumbling infrastructure deficit,
which by your own accounts, is in the area of $2 BILLION. While I
appreciate you each might have your own opinion on HOW we got to the
point we are now or who is responsible for funding it, the fact of the
matter is we are here. And, as such, we need to work together AS A CITY to find ways to address this ever-growing problem.
As I've made very clear in my delegations on this matter, the Local Improvement Act, 1993, is entirely optional
in how it is implemented or applied, as well as what portion you choose
to fund for each project that is deemed necessary under this program.
While I disagree with your interpretation of what projects should be included under the Local Improvement Act, I agree that we have roads, sidewalks and other core infrastructure that are in desperate need of attention. Some of these needed repairs, by your own internal documents, are three to four decades past their useful life. To me, this is completely unacceptable, and to simply defer this to Administration to "come back with a report" is irresponsible and reprehensible. You owe it to the citizens of Regina to address the crumbling roads now. Not tomorrow, not next month, next year or 10 years from now. We will have to agree to disagree on what caused us to get into this situation, but the fact of the matter is you must ACT NOW.
To avoid a City-wide Tax Revolt, like the Business Tax Revolt of 1988, which is what you are sure to have on your hands soon enough, I would highly recommend going ahead with ALL PROJECTS that were recommended to you in the 2014 Local Improvement Program
list, and also any others that were scheduled to be completed within
the past 20 years that were postponed/stopped due to successful petition
drives by residents. As I have stated, and your administration should be well aware of, the primary funding for these projects is intended to be through debt financing, as per the Act. Thus, there should be zero impact to the Operating Budget for 2014 or prior years.
We all recognize it "costs money" to fix these situations, but so
does building a $278M stadium, a $25M City Square Plaza, a
questionably-needed, privately-run $250M WWTP facility, or any other
capital project that you have on your wish list. It is high time you
demonstrate to taxpayers that you understand the difference between NEEDS and WANTS. We all WANT to have a flashy BMW or a fancy house, but we don't NEED them. We all NEED to have roof over our heads, especially in the dead of winter in Saskatchewan. We all WANT to have a car for our primary mode of transportation. But we NEED to have some form of primary transportation, such as a meaningful and useful Transit system.
I implore you, as a representative of many taxpayers who are too afraid to even speak to you,
let alone come public with acknowledging they support me, in fear of
being publicly reprimanded by the likes of some on Council and those
that operate the ridiculous Twitter parody accounts. Do what you know is RIGHT. Don't do it because you're afraid of not being re-elected in 2016, do it because you know this is what taxpayers want. For you to plead ignorance to the wants and desires of Taxpayers is not acceptable any longer. If you spent the time doing your public research, like I have, and speaking directly to those impacted by these situations, and not just those who you choose to speak to, then perhaps you would be fully aware that the majority of taxpayers DO NOT want to pay extra money for these desperately needed road and sidewalk repairs. They DO WANT the work to still get done, however.
I know you might run the risk of getting sued by those that have had to
pay for the 65 projects since 2000, but so be it. If that is your fear,
might I suggest finding a way to refund those taxpayers proactively, preventing the need for good-hearted citizens to take the time and money to pursue you legally.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter, and I
trust that at least one of you will take the time to respond to genuine
Taxpayer concerns - regardless of your personal viewpoints on myself as a person.
Best Regards,
Chad A. Novak, CMA Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group www.chad4regina.com
NOT-SO-BOLD PREDICTION: When the City of Regina comes back in a year ("well before the 2015 budget period") and recommends changes to how they can "fix" the way they apply the Local Improvement Program, my money is on that they will recommend completely scrapping the necessary repair of sidewalks, so that local roads can be fixed without the added costs to taxpayers. This recommendation is obvious, when you listen to the horribly scripted words that our Mayor and Council spoke last night at the Off-Broadway musical held inside Henry Baker Hall, called Regina City Council Meeting. Some of the ideas talked about last night are pretty scary. They spoke of "grading" the streets as a temporary measure, simply "capping" concrete sidewalks which are in desperate need of repair with asphalt, and finding a better solution to the ridculously inflated - loan sharkesque - interest rates that the City imposes on Taxpayers if they choose to finance said construction.
This is completely unacceptable, and utterly ridiculous that our Senior City Administration thinks that there truly are no other viable alternatives to fixing our horribly outdated, crumbling streets and sidewalks, which they continue to bitch about day-in, day-out to other levels of government. It's no one else's fault but their own (The City's) that the state of our streets and sidewalks has fallen into such disrepair as they have, to the tune of $2 BILLION, according to City claims. The Feds aren't the ones who chose to budget horribly for decades, fail to plan for a proper road renewal program, or opt to build a disgustingly over-budget City Square Plaza, or a completely unnecessary copycat stadium (Mosaic 2.0).
MAYOR FOUGERE: "[The review] is going to generate some ideas on some program changes ... or whether we even have a Local Improvement Program at all,"
HEY MAYOR:
Here are a few recommendations that took far less than a year to do, cost ZERO taxpayer dollars and can be implemented ASAP. What do you say?
Congratulations to NewsTalk 980 CJME for being the first "mainstream" media outlet to cover this story, which we broke right here at chad4regina.com!
Congratulations to the Regina Leader-Post for being the second "mainstream" media outlet to cover this story. Will they use the same excuse that Rawlco used, though, as to why they hadn't covered it previously?
Good morning Regina!!!!
After a week of unbelievable revelations of (alleged) gross misconduct on the part of several "elite" individuals within our great City, an anonymous tip came in today that stands to put all of that to shame.
In an EXCLUSIVE to the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group, we have become aware of a Court Action between DUNDEE REALTY CORPORATION and the CITY OF REGINA.
The apparent reason for the Court Action stems back to the original Servicing Agreements regarding the construction of Harbour Landing. Upon review of the Court Documents, the issues go back to 2009 and the file has been before the courts since July 27, 2012. It should be noted that Dundee Realty Corporation is the largest land developer in all of Regina, and most certainly is a well known presence in the Canadian Development landscape. It should also be noted that Dundee and the City of Regina have had a pretty close relationship regarding land development in Regina. Well - at least they used to. This Court challenge could certainly cause some serious shifts of power within the development industry in Regina.
It is no secret to anyone in the development industry that there is bad blood between many local companies and that of Dundee - the "big boys" - coming in and taking over the Regina development landscape. In my role at Crawford Homes, I was witness to just how big a player Dundee is in Regina, and I assure you, this is no frivolous lawsuit that Dundee has launched - which is what the City's lawyer, Ms. Christine Clifford, alleges in part of her defense against Dundee. This seems to be a popular stance for her, as this was her stance in both recent Court of Queens Bench actions that were filed against the City by myself over two pretty major issues: - The 2012 Municipal Election (alleged) rigging, and the Regina Revitalization Initiative project being subject to an independent review pending the outcome of the current CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION regarding the project.
STAY TUNED REGINA.
This story is only just beginning.
We, at the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group, want to thank you for your continued support, and we welcome any inquiries from the Media to expand on this breaking story.
It has become glaringly obvious that the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District has forgotten what they even exist for. Judith Veresuk, Executive Director, and Leasa Gibbons, Marketing Director, seem to think it's their own personal playground and they can play monopoly with people's hard earned money. What they don't seem to understand is that, the BID is supposed to be finding ways to - I know this might be tough to believe - IMPROVE THE DISTRICT!!!
Did you know?
The City of Regina has also changed the time limits in the immediate vicinity of the downtown from two hours to one hour?
Also, they have added more "No Stopping" zones in METERED spots along sections of the downtown.
And, believe it or not - and this is directly from a "Parking Supervisor" (senior ticketer) - there are many in the downtown core who are provided permits from the City to park free all day, who abuse these priveledges a LOT. This is known by the front line staff, but the executives (whose friends are the ones abusing the system of permits) don't care - obviously.
It's high time that the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District either remember why they exist in the first place (to represent ALL Regina downtown businesses - not just a certain family), or they be decommissioned. It is utterly ridiculous that the City was allowed to blow $10-20 MILLION of our tax dollars on the downtown traffic nightmare that is called the Plaza, which has contributed heavily to our downtown parking nightmare, not to mention cost a long time business, the Novia Cafe, their livelihood.
Today, the Regina City Council (Executive Committee) once again voted to break a provincial law and delegate their authority to Mr. Brent Sjoberg, CMA. The mayor doesn't seem to think breaking the law is a big deal, but I know I certainly do!
And then, they considered a report from consultants IBI Group, based out of Ontario, which suggested some pretty common sense ways to fix the downtown, which the former City Council royally screwed up. One recommendation is an off-street parking facility, which is something I recommended way back in February 2012 before I officially launched my Mayoral Campaign. And, it didn't cost me a dime to suggest that. (The consultant's report cost you taxpayers $300,000)
Will you please join me in demanding accountability from this Fascist leader?
Here is the video I promised you. Monday, I kicked off the March Against Corruption week right here in Regina. There is so much that is happening this week, it is hard to keep up. From the Regina Police Service being outed for breaching privacy for their friends at the Regina Dolphin Club (vis a vis the City of Regina), to City Hall voting on giving more of your tax dollars away to organizations that just don't need it, to City Hall voting on authorizing ANOTHER $100M debt for the Stadium project.
I'll try to keep updating the site with as much as I can, but it's tough with so much going on!
Seven years ago this month, I, along with many other concerned parents, fought desperately to save a school in Moose Jaw, that was in a very similar situation to that of Connaught School. Unfortunately for the Prairie South School Division, they didn't have the benefit of the - highly questionable and very subjective - "structurally unsound" excuse to use. Instead, they opted for the all-too-often-used-in-2007 excuse of "declining enrolment" that many communities were facing in Saskatchewan at the time. Oddly enough though, that school was actually bursting at the seams in enrolment, so of course, that excuse was about as valid as the questionable "structural" problems that the Regina Public School Board is claiming for Connaught School. To see this exact same situation play out before my very eyes once again - it hurts me so much, not only as a taxpayer, but as someone that was directly impacted by the disgusting actions of a select few that only have dollar $igns in their eyes. In Moose Jaw, Ecole Ross School has now been converted to condominums. In Regina, it seems that our construction-friendly Mayor and School Board (vis a vis Provincial Government) are all-too-happy to destroy rich heritage for new and flashy, just to satisfy their construction buddies.
To the parents and community supporters in the Connaught School area, I have this to say:
KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT!!!
Accept nothing less than a moratorium on any school closures until a truly independent review is done.
These situations are far too easily manipulated by those with corporate dollars wanting their way. For the School Board to claim structural issues, for example, these issues wouldn't just develop overnight. This happens due to years upon years of wilful neglect, and furthermore, when the School Board refuses to allow an independent second opinion to be provided, something stinks to high heaven.
On that note, another interesting development regarding the recent PCL Stadium Announcement:
Did you know? - PCL Construction was actually the company that provided a "very detailed" breakdown of construction costs for the Stadium Project that the Provincial Government, under the leadership of Ken Cheveldayoff and Premier Brad Wall, proposed to happen back in 2010.
In February 2010, the construction costs were pegged at $336.4 MILLIONjust for the construction of the stadium alone. Granted, this included a roof, but considering the exhorbitant inflation that Regina and area has seen in the last four years, and that figure assumably uses 2008-2010 construction rates (after all, these reports aren't just thrown together in a month), it certainly makes one wonder -
How realistic are the costs in this "new" proposal that PCL submitted to the City of Regina?
More specifically, how on Earth did PCL Construction magically shave off at least$86 MILLION (considering the current project is $250M for construction alone, and the $336.4M should be grossed up significantly to account for construction cost inflation of 4-6 years, one could reasonably assume they've easily shaved off $100-150 MILLION from the 2010 figures) and exactly what features are the taxpayers losing out on with this new TOP SECRET proposal?
One must also ask - Why is the City of Regina entrusting any project to PCL Construction, considering the horrible experience they had with the massively over budget and timeframe City Square Plaza project? (AKA "Pat's Patio" or "Hill's Haven").
