City administration will be reviewing the current taxi bylaws and returning to Regina City Council with recommendations some time this year.

Council deferred their decision for the current proposed regulations, which include the removal of vehicle age requirements and allowing taxis to charge outside of the city’s fare structure.

Mayor Michael Fougere says those in the taxi industry who are upset over the time frame this review will take, but also want a level playing field need to know they can’t have it both ways.

“You want to do a review that’s going to level the playing field and council agreed that we want to have the two bylaws together to look at how we can make it easy that way,” Fougere said. “It’s better to wait and get it done right, as opposed to not do it right and have to come back again.”

Fougere said this could lead to relaxed rules for taxi companies or stiffer rules for ride share services.

“I wouldn’t make an assumption that the ride sharing bylaw will be saved whole the way it is, it may well change as well,” Fougere said. “Conceivably, you could have more regulations added to the ride share bylaw to make it more onerous, so it’s very much in play as to what happens here.”

Maple Leaf Pool receives additional funding

Regina City Council approved $880,000 in additional funding for the Maple Leaf Pool at Wednesday’s monthly meeting.

The renovation project was first introduced in the budget for 2019. Delegates Shayna Stock and Jeanne Clive addressed council saying that they just want the project to be completed such a long period of deliberation.

Mayor Michael Fougere says that the extra funding is needed to address some of the environmental improvements that the city has planned for the pool.

“The cost has gone higher,” said Fougere. “The design is exactly the same as it was in public consultation, no change in that regard. Just higher cost.

The new funding will be coming from the new Recreation Facility Fund created in this year’s budget.

“That’s why we have the money set aside, the 0.5 percent we have on the mill rate. We have some gas tax money as well so it’s into a different kind of fund,” said Fougere. “This is what (the fund) is for.”

Fougere added that using the new fund works better for the city, rather than trying to offset the costs in next year’s budget.

The Mayor added that $880,000 coming out of the fund will not hinder future projects from receiving the funding that they need.

Counsellor Sharron Bryce proposed working on the pool project 24 hours a day to help make sure the pool is built in time.

Fougere said that with the project’s proximity to homes in the community, around the clock construction may not be an option.

“We understand and know full well the importance and the urgency of this, so does the builder, so we will do what we can to make sure it’s done” said Fougere. “When you look at 24-hour projects, you do it in areas where you’re not impacting residents that live there and this is one of those projects where it might be difficult to do that.”

The newly revamped Maple Leaf Pool has a proposed opening date of summer 2021.

{Files from Josh Sigurdson and Ryan McNally}