PROTEST IN THE PARK
Protesters worried latest project will eat away at the greenery at Wascana Centre
Advocates wrap ribbons around trees in Wascana Park near the new Conexus Credit Union Building on Wednesday amid fears that 69 trees are at risk of being felled to make way for the City of Regina’s proposed aquatic destination facility.
Trees threatened by the city’s water park plans were adorned with ribbons Wednesday, as a small group of seasoned activists continued their campaign to save Wascana Centre greenery from a “slippery slope” of destruction.
The activists assembled around the fenced-off pit left by the now-demolished Wascana Pool. That spot is marked for an expanded “destination aquatic facility” that is expected to require the destruction of 69 trees.
Protesters decorated more than 100 trees, however, as they fear additional space will be sacrificed to the project.
Evanna Simpson, an avid birder, worries about what the loss of those trees will mean for the pine siskins, yellow warblers and red-headed woodpeckers who rely on them for seeds, shelter and insects. She called the trees a bird buffet in a “verdant oasis.”
Simpson, who took part in earlier protests against the Conexus and Brandt-cnib projects, views the water park as the latest step in an incremental process nibbling away at green space. She was pessimistic about the chances of saving the trees, given past experience.
“I don’t hold out much hope, but someone has to hold a vigil and mark this,” she said.
Joey Reynolds, who previously served as an elder’s helper in Prince Albert, added a spiritual element to the vigil through blessings and offerings. He came with a handful of pepperoni sticks and left morsels at the foot of the doomed trees.
“What they are doing is wrong,” said Reynolds, who also attended rallies against the Conexus and Brandt-cnib developments.
The city’s water park project is currently winding its way through the Provincial Capital Commission’s (PCC) development process, and is now at step 19 of 38. A conceptual design will be reviewed by the Architectural Advisory Committee.
Activists sent a letter to the PCC earlier this month laying out their objections, including the “devastating ” impact on migratory birds and increased traffic in the park.
The planned water park will offer two pool basins, waterslides, a lazy river and a toddler zone. The activists who came to honour the trees on Wednesday say they are not anti-waterslide. Instead, they urge the city to build an indoor park in a less beloved area.
A city report on the park submitted to council for a Feb. 12 meeting points to an “extensive communications and engagement plan” that sounded out residents about the proposal. It pointed to market research suggesting that some 70 per cent support a new outdoor aquatic facility in the park. A later survey of 4,200 residents found 91 per cent were interested in visiting it.
But the public engagement report also found that some respondents were “cautious” about how the expanded footprint might affect the park. At an open house in November, approximately 12 per cent of respondents emphasized a desire to “keep the natural landscape and save trees.”
Protest organizer Karen Rose worries that the public is not aware of how many trees will be sacrificed to make way for the water park. She called the development the latest turn in a “slippery slope” she believes will keep threatening the tranquillity of the park — and cost more trees.
“You can just use your imagination to what they dream up next,” she said.
Rose estimated that about 12 to 13 people attended the rally. That number would exceed the 10-person limit in the current public health order, but Rose argued that people came and went throughout the event. Some wore masks.
“We didn’t even consider this a gathering,” she said. “The space is so big.”