Joe Couture; Regina Leader-Post

REGINA — Federal, provincial, and municipal leaders gathered in Regina's Victoria Park on Wednesday afternoon to announce shared investment in a project that could see the area transformed.

The City Square plans propose to merge Victoria Park with 12th Avenue to the north. The park and surrounding streets will be modified to encourage walking and cycling and to promote festivals and special events in the space.
Bus service presently on 12th Avenue would move to 11th Avenue, while some streets in the downtown would switch from one-way to two-way.

Ray Boughen, the Member of Parliament for Palliser, announced that federal taxpayers will support the project to the tune of $1.7 million allocated out of Ottawa's coffers. That money comes through the Urban Development Agreement, administered by Western Economic Diversification.

"I think it's important that people understand that all levels of government have something to contribute," he said. "When we work together, we're just that much stronger than by ourselves."

Bill Hutchinson, a former Regina city councillor and the current provincial minister of First Nations and Metis relations, spoke on behalf of Minister of Municipal Affairs Jeremy Harrison. Hutchinson announced the province will contribute $300,000 of public funds for the development of the City Square. "This is how we get things done these days," he said. "If all three orders of government work together . . . we can get a lot more done, a lot more quickly."

Pat Fiacco, mayor of Regina, noted that $500,000 will be allocated out of municipal accounts for the first phase of the project, part of the extensive development advised under the city's recently released plan for the downtown area.

The mayor noted the City Square designs require some approvals and will take a number of years to become real.