Stadium roof not top priority for Regina infrastructure cash: mayor

A roof for Regina's new football stadium would be nice, but it's not a top priority if the city receives an influx of federal infrastructure cash, Mayor Michael Fougere says.

Bloomberg News reported this week that Ottawa was looking at spending $361 million from an existing program on Saskatchewan infrastructure projects. Alberta, meanwhile, is reportedly in line for $704 million. 

That's music to the ears of municipal leaders like Fougere, who identified several priorities in an interview with CBC Radio's The Morning Edition host Sheila Coles on Thursday.

"Like any other municipality, we don't have the money and resources to do all we need to build our infrastructure and build our cities," Fougere said.

The No. 1 priority is a new transit maintenance facility, Fougere said.

A city administration report last year said the new "bus barn" would cost $30 million.

The existing centre near the corner of 4th Avenue and Albert Street is more than 60 years old and has been deemed too small for Regina's 100-bus fleet.

Other priorities Fougere mentioned include a proposed Winnipeg Street overpass, the downtown railyard renewal project, an upgrade to the Buffalo Pound water treatment centre and "a host of other streets and roads within the city."
 
Not making the list was a possible roof for the under-construction football stadium in Evraz Place.

The $278-million stadium, which is scheduled to be open in time for the Saskatchewan Roughriders' 2017 season, is an open air facility, but is designed to be roof-ready.

Asked about adding a roof now, Fougere said no.

"It's nice to have, but to be realistic here, we have big priorities to build our city," he said.

"We have a stadium that's going to be finished in a few months, and if the federal government had that kind of money sitting around and they wanted to invest in a roof, that's fine — but let's not forget some of the the really fundamental issues of infrastructure and growth of our city."