MAYORAL MUSINGS
Fougere talks the good, bad and ugly
Mayor Michael Fougere reflects on 2019 as a positive year filled with growth, good decisions, public engagement and big events. It was, however, not without its challenges. Leader-post city hall reporter Jennifer Ackerman speaks with the mayor about how he sees the past year and a glimpse into what he hopes to see in 2020.
Q The Capital Pointe hole became quite the running joke in 2019 — songs were written about it, memes that mocked it. How do you think it has affected the image of the city?
A I don’t actually mind those ... memes coming out. I think those are funny. Obviously it’s a serious issue, but people are making light of it. I don’t think it hurts our reputation because we have very rarely ever had this kind of problem before. People who build in our city actually build what they say they’re going to do and so this is an extraordinary circumstance.
Q What do you consider the biggest success of 2019?
A I think the major events that we had in our city were really outstanding. We put our best foot forward as a city, as a community, for the two Garth Brooks concerts that were both sold out. Of course, the NHL game and WHL
game outside in the new stadium. We had a CFL playoff game, the Western Final was really good and we had people watching the NBA finals in the stadium as well. So, we utilized our space at Evraz Place really well ... and now we have the Grey Cup coming in next year ... It’s going to be wonderful.
Q What was the biggest disappointment of 2019?
A Capital Pointe has always been a disappointment. I think that is really a missed opportunity. The economy was ripe when we started this 10 years ago to build a hotel and condo complex together and a missed opportunity by the group that bought that property to really make a signature project in there for the city.
One of the points that I think is a disappointment to some degree, but still an opportunity, is how we deal with homelessness.
We have a report that’s come out, that is a wonderful report on how to end homelessness in five years and we just need to have these two orders of government come together and respond to the report ... It’s $63 million over five years. (It’s) beyond the capacity of the city to do that and so we need the province and the federal government to step up and be part of the solution.
Q You’ve talked a lot since the federal election about western alienation and the need to help the oil and gas industry. How does the city plan to balance climate initiatives with industry?
A They’re not mutually exclusive ... The foundation of our economy in many ways is oil and gas and mining industries, which are very important for our economy and for job creation and growth, but also we very much
are part of a bigger picture. We have climate issues and we have to deal with those ... As a city we will be having a conference coming up in May of next year that’s going to talk about how the city operations can be more sustainable and become self-sufficient by 2050 ... We also know that within oil and gas industry
... they have made technological changes that have lessened their carbon footprint and we should talk about that.
Q Residents seem anxious to see Phase 3 of the Regina Revitalization Initiative (affordable housing at the old Taylor Field site) come to fruition. What’s your message to them?
A This project was always meant to be, as a whole ... a
20- to 25-year proposition. It’s not going to happen overnight. How we use that land or not (in the meantime), we should look at that and I did favour looking at this temporarily as maybe a parking lot ... Council feels that we should focus on maybe using it to animate in some other fashion other than a parking lot ... But the demand for housing is market driven, not government driven and the private sector will determine when that happens.
Q Would the city every consider intervening in some way to try to get something to happen there sooner?
A That will be determined by the private sector, but we can initiate that by saying we’re prepared to have some public sector investment to help out.
Q What’s on your to-do list for 2020?
A That’s a work in progress still, but I would say I’d like to have some movement on homelessness ... I would want to see some significant development on downtown, that may be a transit hub, some steps toward traffic circulation and transit would be important. I would want to see some significant progress made on building permits and inspections so we have that process go quickly. Our economy is slowing down a bit and we should be encouraging more efficiency and when we have applications go forward there’s been some frustration felt by many people on that and I want to see that change as well.
Q What is your fondest memory of 2019?
A I think getting the Globe Theatre approved — I’m very proud of that ... Meeting the deputy prime minister ... The actions will speak louder than the words, of course, but it’s a good starting conversation. That was important.
I am very proud of the fact that we raised $1.2 million, The Garage Band (in which Mayor Fougere plays the drums). That was not expected and me being in a band was certainly not expected two years ago, but this time last year we created the band and over a few short months we did some really important things for our community ... We helped John Hopkins in his journey, but also we raised money to buy the cancer equipment and so I’m very proud of that. Q Regina residents were very vocal about saving Maple Leaf Pool again and how they want to see Wascana Pool redesigned. What do you think that says about the city?
A I’m really proud of the way we responded as a community to this ... I think it is a testament to focusing on what’s really a priority for the Heritage area, but also for the city as a whole ... Wascana Pool, it’s the same discussion. We want to make a pool that is a signature project, that will benefit everyone who’s a competitive swimmer to those who just want to get in the pool and have fun with their kids. We want to have that balance that is a challenge but it’s also a good opportunity to frame this in a way that everyone benefits.