Housing-first homeless strategy funding, biking fines set ahead of Regina city council Wednesday

A housing-first strategy may soon be brought to Regina. Regina's city council will debate a $1 million ongoing operation of permanent supportive housing on Wednesday. 

The Permanent Supportive Housing Operating Grant would begin in 2022 and is a part of the plan to end homelessness originally published in 2018. The grant would provide up to $1 million each year for community-based organizations to operate the housing spaces. 

City administration said this would be a housing-first approach and would be funded through the city's social development reserve. The cost would be also offset by moving some of the money in the Housing Incentives Policy to the permanent housing grant. 

The money would create about 20 new housing spaces. The grant will make an "immediate impact in achieving the objectives of the plan by housing Regina residents who are chronically homeless," administration said in a report. 

As well, there is a backlog in people trying to access Phoenix Residential Society's work, which uses a housing first model.

Administration said this grant would help, and have other effects for the public sector including: an 81 per cent reduction in related police calls, 89 per cent less related arrests, 75 percent less ER visits and 93 per cent less detox visits. 

More fines potentially coming for drivers not safely passing cyclists 

Council is also set to debate more fines for drivers who operate incorrectly or unreasonably around cyclists. City administration said this is important because the city wants to promise and improve access to alternative transportation options, instead of personal vehicles. 

"Improving active transportation options can draw down personal GHG emissions footprints by as much 4 tonnes CO2e per year if those options lead to individuals using active modes of transportation," the city said in a report. 

The city said if approved, $30,000 from the automated speed enforcement account would be used in 2021 for a cycling educational campaign. 

The changes would be: 

• Vehicle drivers need to drive in a reasonable and prudent way when approaching special hazards to cyclists — such as not splashing them with puddles — or they could be fined  $180.
• Drivers will be prohibited from following a cyclist more closely than is reasonable, or they could be fined $100. 
• Drivers cannot pass a cyclist in the same lane that the cyclist is using, or they could be fined $85. 
• Drivers cannot pass a cyclist faster than 50 km/hour, or for streets with speeds that are 80 km/hour, the drivers cannot pass a cyclist faster than 70 km/hour unless there is a bike lane, or they can be fined $180. 
• Drivers cannot open their doors unless it's safe in relation to cyclists and doesn't interfere with the movement of traffic, or they can be fined $180.  
• Cyclists will be allowed to go in the opposite direction down a one-way street if there is a bicycle-only lane. 
• Cyclists will be prohibited from operating on Ring Road from 200 m east of Pasqua Street to Victoria Avenue, or they can be fined $85. 

Dewdney Pool to be renamed Buffalo Meadows Pool

City council will also debate renaming Dewdney Pool in Regina's North Central neighbourhood to Buffalo Meadows Pool. 

City administration recommends the change as it said in a report that the pool is named after Edgar Dewdney, a historical figure who was directly responsible for the development and administration of harmful policies toward Indigenous peoples, including establishing and providing oversight for residential schools. 

This request comes after Decolonizing Relations started a petition was started in July 2020 to rename Dewdney Park, Dewdney Pool and Dewdney Avenue. The park request is being considered in a separate report to the Regina Planning Commission and the street request is being processed. 

If approved, Regina Treaty Status Indian Services and a local Elder will work with the city to hold a ceremony for the reopening of the pool in 2021. Maple Leaf Pool in the Heritage Neighbourhood is also being looked at for an Indigenous name, city administration said. 

Requests to re-consider temporary parking lot, clean up the city

Two councillors are also requesting city council reconsider a previous decision: denying a temporary parking lot request for 1840 Lorne Street on Feb. 10. 

Councillors Cheryl Stadnichuk and John Findura are requesting the temporary parking lot be allowed to continue because the denial will cause "undue financial hardship to a non-profit organization."

Namerind Housing Corporation is a non-profit that runs affordable housing for Indigenous peoples and the city is committed to building relationships with Indigenous organizations — Namerind is 100 per cent Indigenous owned since 1977. 

Meanwhile Councillors Andrew Stevens and Dan LeBlanc want to quite literally clean up the streets. They are proposing the administration prepare a report that looks at a strategy of increasing fines and prosecution efforts — for landlords and offenders — for illegal dumping or repeat violations. 

As well, the report would consider the costs of empowering waste-pickup crews with bylaw enforcement authority, more frequent recycling and garbage pickup in areas with higher-than-average street and alley waste or to put community garbage, composting and recycling bins in problem areas, and additional needle drop-off bins. 

Stevens and LeBlanc said in a report that illegal dumping has resulted in littered alleys and streets and vacant properties are too often used as neighbourhood dumpsites. 

Councillors Lori Bresciani and Terina Shaw are also bringing forward a request to increase recreation and leisure activities for peoples with disabilities.

The councillors hope to direct administration to consult with the public, people with disabilities and care providers on what types of activities are needed, what barriers there are to accessing programs, to examine the cost of changes and research options for accessibility grants to encourage inclusively.

Core Partnership Framework, Interim Heritage Policy up for debate 

City council will also consider the City Centre Core Partnership Framework and Action Plan. The framework and action plan is meant to give a collective vision for the core's organizations to create a co-ordinated process to find land uses and infrastructure to support development and draw 10,000 people to the area. 

Council will also discuss a heritage conservation interim policy, that would have a third-party review process for heritage evaluations and assessments — composed of qualified heritage consultants or architects — before a proposal goes before city council. 

Administration also recommends sending a request for financial help from the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District, Regina Warehouse Business Improvement District and Regina Hotels Association to the newly created recovery and efficiency task force.