Regina City Council will hold a special meeting, Wednesday, April 15 at 11 a.m. to consider the financial impacts from COVID-19.
The impacts being discussed are resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and will include discussions about City operations and Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL).
Mayor Michael Fougere says the steps taken by the city throughout the course of the pandemic, like the closure of city facilities and the offering of free transit services, have resulted in a revenue shortfall of millions of dollars.
The City is not allowed, by law, to carry over a deficit, so Fougere says this meeting is all about finding ways to balance the books, without raising taxes.
“We will not be raising taxes, that is for sure. People are hurting, we’re in a crisis situation here now, in an emergency,” said Fougere. “People have lost their jobs and businesses are closing so, no more burden on taxpayers to be sure.”
“It’s just how we provide for the services that people want every day and balance our books.”
Fougere says that its important for the city to figure out a plan sooner rather than later, so that they are prepared. He adds they have asked for some backstop support from both the federal and provincial governments.
The Mayor stressed that Regina is not alone in trying to find a way through the financial hit of COVID-19.
“Every city in Canada faces this, this isn’t just a Regina issue or a Saskatchewan issue,” said Fougere. “Every city in Canada made these changes to lock down our city. “We’ve done lots of things to reduce the exposure for people, and that’s paying a price for us, and we need to find a way to do that, and we’re going to senior governments to help us do that as well.”
Another major topic at Wednesday’s council meeting is REAL, and how to make sure they can continue to operate through the pandemic.
REAL CEO, Tim Reid says that the organization is asking the city for permission to use their banking facilities in a different way to be able to make it through COVID-19.
Reid applauds the city for taking an early look at the books, in what is truly an unusual situation.
“They’re dealing with a circumstance that is so substantial, and there’s really no great playbook for this,” said Reid. “I think understanding where we as a community stand financially, and the impacts of COVID-19, are so deeply valuable.”
