LET’S HOPE REGINA 2050 IS AS DREAMY AS IT SOUNDS
But as news this summer reveals, we’ve got a long way to go before that ‘audacious vision’
When I think ahead to the year 2050 in Regina, I dream about flying cars whizzing unfettered through the skies.
With any luck, the exhaust they spew is harmless, feeding fluffy, white clouds instead of murky smog.
My pod will be chauffeured by a personal robot, who also takes care of my self-cleaning home, where a gizmo spews out my pre-chosen, ready-made, homecooked meal with the push of a button.
Wasn’t that the sort of future The Jetsons promised for the year 2062? As it turned out, the Jetsons didn’t have much of a future, lasting only a year in real time on television before syndication. They were the counterpoint to The Flintstones, who actually had far more longevity, proving it’s sometimes easier to look back than ahead.
In a report released this week by Economic Development Regina, local executives were asked to imagine an “audacious vision” of the city. OK, so it doesn’t speak of apartments in the sky or aerocars; no, their dreams are a bit more grounded.
What caught my eye was a list that executives were asked to consider when pondering their ideal Regina 30 years from now. It included a population over 500,000, a bustling downtown core, low unemployment, a strong and diversified economy, a youthful and vibrant city, expanded wellness as people live longer, advanced technology, improved inclusion and diversity, environmentally progressive and sustainable practice, and a focus on ethical responsibility when balancing resource development and environmental sustainability.
In turn, respondents were asked to consider that list and add descriptions for their ideal vision of the city in 2050. The themes that emerged were enhanced transportation infrastructure, entrepreneurial, proud, Internet access regardless of socioeconomic status, visually attractive, robust arts and culture, strong Indigenous representation in all community aspects, enhanced work-life balance, a culture of innovation, highly productive workforce, infrastructure that supports growth and a socially conscious population.
As we turn to fall from summer, and I reflect on the news stories in the season that was, it all seems like such a tall order.
How about the protest camp set up through a long, hot summer to raise, among other issues, awareness about Indigenous children in the child welfare system? This province’s children’s advocates, going back to the office’s creation in 1994, have repeatedly raised such concerns. In her 10th annual report, in 2005, the province’s first advocate noted 67 per cent of the children taken into the child welfare system are Indigenous or Metis. The number is virtually unchanged in 2018.
An inclusive, socially conscious population? In August someone hurled a Molotov cocktail onto the steps of Q Nightclub, a gay bar that’s been at that location for almost 20 years. Sadly, it wasn’t the first time it’s been a target of crime and intolerance.
Earlier this month, the Leaderpost brought readers the story of the delayed plan for railyard renewal — part of the Regina Revitalization Plan — on a strip of land that a former mayor once thought would be a terrific location for a downtown stadium and entertainment venue. Of course, that didn’t come to pass, but the most movement on that land for years has come from blowing dust, with some area businesses bemoaning the “snail’s pace” of progress.
This summer, the Leader-post also carried a detailed story about plans to potentially relocate the railway tracks from the Ring Road. It’s proven as elusive as a unicorn for at least four decades.
About that vision of enhanced transportation infrastructure, tell that to the motorists trapped in the traffic chaos in the city’s east end in June. It was an unusual intersection of events that led to the problem that day, but a report the same month indicated Arcola Avenue is one of the most congested routes in the city. However, work on some of the major intersections isn’t slated to happen until 2024.
I hate to sound like such a pessimist about what’s clearly an optimistic report, but as one Regina judge was so fond of telling offenders as he perused their lengthy records, sometimes the best predictor of the future is the past.
Dreaming and visioning is always a good start. But action will speak louder than the words on a page in a report.
I hope that future vision of this city is as promising as it sounds in 2018.
And maybe someday I won’t have to dodge potholes and traffic jams in my sky-mobile.