Development not answer for Wascana Park

Having worked in Wascana Centre for over 30 years and having been involved with the Centre in various capacities for another 20 years, I have followed with interest the discussion around development in the park. As many have commented, Wascana Centre is the crown jewel of the Queen City. The foresight of residents and decision makers was profound by ensuring the land around the lake remained an undeveloped green space for the people of Regina and indeed the province.

In the past, threats to this green space have been proposed and for the most part rebuked by the citizens of Regina. Years prior to the creation of Wascana Centre in 1962, a developer proposed an apartment complex on Goose Island south of the Sask. Science Centre. Public objection stopped the proposal. Years later, an illegal makeshift dam near the Wascana Country Club was removed.

With the University of Regina and institutions like the CNIB starving for cash, survival options hinge on the ability to attract private investment, or cease to exist. Such is the case with the College Avenue Campus, including Darke Hall. Conexus Credit Union stepped forward with some $8.25 million in cash for renovations and another $10 million in value through joint infrastructure benefits such as shared atrium, heating and air conditioning.

The CNIB is at the point of closing their doors unless funding for a new building is obtained. With public funds not forthcoming, the CNIB is forced to seek private investments for its survival. The Brandt investment accepted by the province will result in a 70,000-square-foot commercial facility with the CNIB leasing a mere 4,000 square feet.

Such a massive structure in Wascana Park will leave a large footprint. Is this the best option for the future of the CNIB and the public, who own Wascana Park? What other options were considered?

Both of these commercial developments in Wascana Centre have happened because of a lack of public funding. The province is responsible for public education and ensuring that public services such as the CNIB can serve the people. Both the university and the CNIB continually work to receive significant donations from individuals and the private sector, who see the value in these institutions. At the end of the day, it is the provincial government’s responsibility to ensure that public services are adequately funded to serve the people.

The recent move by the province to take over the decision-making within Wascana Centre is unacceptable and nothing short of bullying. The Wascana Centre Authority has worked effectively since 1962, with the province, city and university having equal voices and votes at the table where important decisions about the future of Regina’s crown jewel are made in a co-operative and objective manner. It is pretty clear with the province having three votes and the city and university having one vote each, who is in control. A return to a governance model that is transparent and equitable is urgently required.

It is time for the many thousands of people who visit and appreciate Wascana Centre to be seen and heard loud and clear, with a message of restored and adequate funding for public institutions and no more commercial development in our Wascana Park.