Regina city council votes to name downtown walking space 'Pat Fiacco Plaza,' protect heritage building

Regina city council's meeting Wednesday ended before councillors could talk about masks or a diversity committee, but councillors did vote to preserve a heritage building and rename a plaza after a mayor. 

A developer had applied to tear down the Bagshaw Residence, located at 56 Angus Street, noting a number of renovations the home would need to keep it. Delegates from Heritage Regina and the Cathedral Area Community Association appealed to city council to keep the building on the heritage list and preserve it. 

Jackie Schmidt, president of Heritage Regina, told CBC Tuesday that the home was built more than 100 years ago and the architect and those who lived there should be honoured by keeping the home. 

"It's very unusual for some of the architectural detail that he's designed in the past," Schmidt said on Tuesday. "This house was designed as a Craftsman style house."

Council voted unanimously to give the home heritage protection and do a report on architectural controls in the Crescents — a part of the Cathedral neighbourhood. 

"Council made a very clear statement yesterday, unanimously supporting retaining that property as a heritage property and looking at a control district, if you will, for the Crescents area," Mayor Michael Fougere said. 

"There are many houses and homes in that area, obviously the same vintage, that are unique and we should preserve that."

Fougere said the city takes its heritage very seriously and will be watching the historical value of proposed demolished homes closely. 

Regina city council also passed a motion to rename the downtown plaza to Pat Fiacco Plaza. Fiacco was Regina's mayor from 2000 to 2012. The motion passed almost unanimously, with only Ward 3 Councillor Andrew Stevens against the new name. 

"This is a reflection of the impact Mr. Fiacco had on our city," Fougere said. "Council felt very strongly that now's the time to do that."

Fougere said this was not fast-tracked when compared to the application to rename Dewdney Avenue, Dewdney Park and Dewdney Pool. Fougere said that application will be coming before city council, as will one about the John A. MacDonald statue in Victoria Park. 

Advocates have been calling for Dewdney Avenue to be renamed and the John A. MacDonald statue to be removed from Victoria Park. 

"Those processes are going forward as they should, and the process for properties like a Plaza, council has the authority to name and it did," Fougere said. 

Fougere said that in the future, 25 per cent of streets and 50 per cent of parks will be named in recognition of Indigenous people in Regina. He said that strikes a balance for, "recognizing the integral part that Indigenous peoples played in the growth and development of our city."

"That is a reflection of what council wants to do and to do, as I believe, as a generous act to recognize Indigenous peoples who were integral to develop our city," Fougere said. "I think that's a very generous thing to be doing."