Fougere has ‘no regrets’ heading into 2018
From the mayor’s office, the view on the past 12 months looks pretty good. It was a year of ‘iconic’ projects, big-name concerts and progress on a few of council’s priorities. There were some minor controversies — a war of words over STC protests, debate over the John A. MacDonald statue — but Mayor Michael Fougere has ‘no regrets.’ Arthur White-Crummey sat down with the mayor to look back on 2017 and ahead to 2018.
Q What, to you, were the highlights of 2017?
A One would be the opening of the stadium. It’s really a fantastic, iconic building. The substantial completion of the wastewater treatment plant, while not as glamorous, is also very important for the growth of our city. Then there’s the Mâmawêyatitân Centre, and a lot of heavy lifting on Reconciliation Regina.
We’ve dealt with homelessness in a substantive way. For me personally, this is a very important issue: What’s called functional zero homelessness ... We’re closer to getting a plan now.
We’ve seen a lot of great things happening. We’ve seen our economy remain buoyant and strong, relatively speaking. I’m very proud of our accomplishments.
Q How have the financial barriers of the past year affected council’s ability to achieve its priorities?
A Budgets are always a difficult process to go through. When the province tightens their belt, we have to tighten ours. We will look for savings and efficiencies to reduce that gap. It’s a structural change for us, and we’ll meet that challenge. We’ll determine in 2018 whether there will be any changes. Our ability to fund infrastructure projects and opportunities with the federal government, as well as the province’s, may be hampered by this deficit reduction exercise.
Q We’re no longer growing like we were a few years ago. Can projects drawn up during the boom years — the Taylor Field redesign and railyard renewal, for example — still go forward at the same rate?
A The market will decide. The bulk of our public investment was in the stadium, and the private sector will drive what happens with those projects. I don’t see a slowing down of that necessarily. I see a sense of enthusiasm to move forward, not stepping back.
Q Weather was a big factor this year, breaking water mains and accelerating roadwork. We hear that we’re going to see warmer, drier weather because of climate change. How will that impact the city?
A Climate does play a big role, in both winter and summer ... I look at it as a challenge: To ensure we continue to provide the best service possible. Because of the new normal, or the change in climate, we have to deal with water main breaks in a different way. We can’t change the clay in the soil, so maybe we’ll have to change our budgets accordingly.
Over the last few years, we’ve been able to do all our projects on the capital side. So that’s a positive for us. I think we just need to understand what’s happening. What are the trends? Was this summer an anomaly?
Q Between the John A. Macdonald statue and Davin School, our relationship with history has been up for debate this year. Do you think this debate has been good for the city, and what do you hope comes of it?
A I would say that we need to take the words from the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: We should have a conversation that brings us together, that doesn’t divide us. Let’s look at the good and the bad.
We’ll use Sir John A. Macdonald in Victoria Park as an example. He’s a Father of Confederation. He built our country. But he did other things that weren’t particularly helpful. We need to learn that as a community. I don’t think it’s helpful to sanitize the past so we forget what happened.
The circumstances around Indigenous people were very difficult to accept. I think most people would say this was wrong, it’s shameful and we need to correct it. But we correct it through our current and future behaviour.
Q Perhaps your most controversial statement of the year came in response to a tweet when you said that there’s never a time for civil disobedience. What do you think, in retrospect, of the outcry that followed?
A I think people have strong views, no question about that. But we were speaking about the STC closure, and that’s why I said I can’t envision a time where civil disobedience is warranted in that circumstance.
I think what Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela did does not enter into this discussion. My statement had nothing to do with larger movements in the world, which I think clouds the issue and makes it more problematic to have a civilized, sensible discussion.
Q We’ll have a new premier is January. Have you heard anything in the leadership campaign that bodes well — or ill — for Regina?
A It’s been very low-profile, both for the NDP and for the Saskatchewan Party, so I think it’s too early to tell what the candidates’ positions are on cities. Obviously we’ll hear a lot more when the new premier is elected by the membership. We’ll get clarity on revenue sharing, infrastructure, transit and a host of other things. Q Do you think that’s a lost opportunity? A I think there could be a lot more clarity on a lot of issues, sure.
Q We’ve had some big concerts in 2017. Which were your favourites, and who do you hope to see play in Regina next year?
A I think Bryan Adams was pretty good. He’s one of my favourites. But, along with the Beatles, my favourite is the Eagles. That to me is just going to be an incredible concert — no question about that. We’ve proven that we can have world-class entertainment in a new facility. Who knows what will come? Maybe U2?
Q What will we be talking about one year from now?
A I hope we’re talking about another successful year, another example of how the city has grown and how we’ve continued to be attractive to people — more jobs created, more investment opportunities and more people moving to our city.