Regina city council to discuss taxi bylaw changes and provincial COVID-19 funding Wednesday

Regina's city council meets Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. CST. 

A report going to council recommends several changes to the city's taxi bylaw. Taxi companies have been pushing for change since Uber came to town about a year ago.

Taxi drivers and Uber drivers are regulated differently in Regina. Taxi drivers have said in the past that's not fair. 

Some major proposed changes to the bylaw include:

• Allowing taxi services to charge fares outside of the city's established fare structure. Trips would have to be booked with an approved app that can provide a pre-estimate.
• Updating taxi fees charged by the city.
• Implementing further data collection requirements.
• Removing the vehicle age requirement.
• Changing the decal requirements for taxis.

The agenda recommends these and other changes be approved and that the city solicitor draft the new bylaw, which would have to go before council again next month for final approval. 

Provincial funding: where's the money going?

Council is also set to look at how to spend its Municipal Economic Enhancement Program (MEEP) money from the province.

MEEP is designed to help municipalities pay for "shovel-ready" programs that may have fallen by the wayside after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.

The city received nearly $31 million in its MEEP allocation.

Here's a breakdown of what the city is hoping the funding will go toward:

• Wascana Pool renewal: $12.0 million.
• Municipal Justice Building redevelopment: $7.5 million.
• Residential road renewal (2020 Deferred Projects): $6.4 million.
• Roof replacement :$1.5 million.
• Expand bike lanes and pathways (Albert Street): $900,000.
• Energy monitoring and optimization infrastructure: $720,000.
• Outdoor rink: $700,000.
• Permanent pavement markings: $700,000.
• Pedestrian connectivity (Pasqua Street): $500,000.

If approved, the City Manager will be authorized to apply for MEEP funding for these projects.