In compliance with council directive EX10-63, the Queen City Improvement Bureau broadcasts their weekly meetings from a forgotten sub-basement office deep beneath city hall of Regina, Saskatchewan. On Twitter as @QueenCityIB. Online at QueenCityIB.com. Broadcasts live on real radio, Thurs 7 to 8 pm CST on 91.3 CJTR Regina's community radio station (CJTR.ca).
On this week's agenda: New housing minister has thoughts on housing prices, Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant update, money for Taylor Field Redevelopment, borrowing bucks for infrastructure. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.
This week was supposed to be slow one at city hall so this meeting was going to be about The Herculoids. But then council happened! And they had to go and give nearly $7 million as a ransom to keep the city's second Costco location notionally within our borders. Also, fluoride. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.
Crazy goings on at city hall. City manager on leave. Senior staff let go. Budget crows come home to roost. Council plans to kill a day re-litigating water fluoridation. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.
Singer/songwriter Belle Plaine and guitar operator Bryn Besse visit the subbasement to play some tunes, talk some shit. Very music rich QCIB, this one. Music much too good for the likes of this office. We got v lucky. Theme music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.
Following up on last week's game of "Can Council Make Aidan's Head Explode", the Bureau does what Certain Councillors were too chicken to do: We put questions to the Good Trouble Network directly. Tiro & Kale are visiting the sub-basement to talk about the food assistance program they're bringing to the Heritage neighbourhood. Theme music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Additional music by Kimberley Fury. Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.
Don't you love it when council has a perfectly benign motion on their agenda that should pass quickly and be a good news story but somehow they find a way to make it gross and awful? And by "don't you love it?" I mean, "don't you hate it?" In this case, it's Clr Victoria Flores' food security motion which Clrs Bezo, Tsiklis & Rashovich brought so much of their conservative brand of yuck to. Aidan hadn't listened to any of this council meeting so I collected a bunch of representative audio cl...
So… we sent our intern and CJTR’s erstwhile Prairie Naturalist, Sharrod Claerge, out to get us coffee like… years ago… (he insists his name is actually "Jared Clarke" and that he now has a “real job” but we don't believe him because that's exactly the kind of thing Sharrod would say, the jokester). Sharrod’s back - coffee-less (sigh) - to talk about "Salthaven West" and "wildlife rescue" and "conservation" and "nature" and… I don't know, man. I just wanted a coffee. The Typical 18-Year Old Girl ...
Ward 6 councillor Victoria Flores visits the subbasement. She updates us on her Manufactured Homes motion and talks about the budget. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.
Jon & Kelly from the Queen City Urbanist Bookclub are back to chat about the four-day 2025 city budget process. It was… an adventure! Based off some councillors' performance, you should probably look up "Dunning Kruger Effect". It's a phrase that may come up a lot. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.
Ward 8 councillor Shanon Zachidniak visits the subbasement to talk about what it's like being the lone two-termer on council, the upcoming week of budget discussions, the Energy & Sustainability Framework, recycling, composting, housing and much more. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.
John Kennedy and Chris Matchett visit the subbasement to promote the Not A Birthday Fundraiser on March 13 at the Exchange — which the QCIB will be hosting, as it happens. Plus, we discuss council voting down rental housing and their repeated failure to understand how referral motions work. Chris performs a couple songs. Theme music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.
The Bureau gets a visit from the Jon and Kelly Lorenc from the Queen City Urbanist Bookclub. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.
In the first half, the tale of two municipal corporations. There is CSIR who is to die! And there is EDR who you will listen to and wish you were dead! In the second half, we have a surprise guest. AND IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE SURPRISE GUEST'S IDENTITY SPOILED READ NO FURTHER! okay… the surprise guest is new councillor Mark Burton from ward 4. Yes! The "compact urban squalor" guy. We talk to him about the 2025 budget proposal. Then we give him a chance to respond to our two weeks worth of dunking ...
Some great things passed at city council's first meeting of 2025 including a motion to consider giving surface parking lots their own property tax class, a pilot to explore giving high school students free transit, more. Also, Aidan hates numbers. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, Regina community radio.
Our new city council met for their first Executive Committee meeting of 2025 and we take a look at how they distinguished themselves. Spoilers: Sub-awesome. On the agenda, EX25-2 Regina Housing Needs Assessment, EX25-3 2025 Housing Incentives Policy Pilots & Revisions, EX25-4 Office to Residential Incentive Pilot and EX25-6 Speakers' Corner Drainage Renewal Project. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.
University of Regina geography professor Vanessa Mathews visits the subbasement to talk about two items coming to council: a motion to set a new property tax classification for nuisance and underused properties (like surface parking lots, for instance), and a motion to start a pilot program for free transit for high school kids. We also talk about the concept plan for the Scarth St pedestrian mall renovation. (Spoilers: they're keeping it a pedestrian mall). No Aidan this week as he is away nego...
We got the Queen City's new mayor, Chad Bachynski, on the phone for 15 min at the crack of dawn so we could pin him down with questions about federal infrastructure funding, the Housing Accelerator Fund, residential upzoning and some ignorant, mildly sweary stuff that federal opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, said about cities. Seriously, what’s Poilievre’s damage? Plus, We're Number Five! And, how did council's first real meeting go… really? Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally bro...
Regina's new council has their first executive committee meeting and it starts with a tax-hike blooding to initiate in the newbs. Take that, Advance Regina! Plus, Pierre Poilievre declares war on all of Canada's cities. What's that guy's damage, anyway? Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.
It's our post-election WTF? episode. New councillors. Gone councillors. Advance Regina did stuff. Mayor rhymes with hair. You just know we're going to be riding that gag for four years. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.
The 2024 Regina municipal election finally reaches its climax as results pour in on Nov 13. The Queen City Improvement Bureau was there, capturing every moment of the drama. In the studio with us: renowned election nerds David Loblaw (of the drloblaw.com election site) and Pat Book (former city hall reporter for CJME & The 2024 Regina municipal election finally reaches its climax as results pour in on Nov 13. The Queen City Improvement Bureau was there, capturing every moment of the drama. I...
Once again, we have city hall reporters Larissa Kurz from the Leader Post & Alex Quon from the CBC in the subbasement to talk about the 2024 city election. We cover all the shenanigans by shadowy forces who are attempting to influence voters. Plus, a mayoral candidate gets a big endorsement from a former mayor. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, Regina community radio.
NINE FREAKING YEARS of this nonsense! Can you freaking believe it? The Queen City Improvement Bureau went on out over CJTR's airwaves for the first time on Oct 31 2015 and here we are, several elections, multiple scandals, a pandemic, some lawsuits, an asteroid impact, two robot revolutions, that incident with the time slip and a sorry episode with a hyperintelligent shark THAT WE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH, and we've malingered through it all. Tonight, instead of throwing a party for our aging selv...
City election nerd and keeper of the best and most complete online list of council candidates, David Loblaw, visits the subbasement to talk about his love for elections and how he thought the candidates did in the Oct 20 Cathedral Mayoral Candidate Forum. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.
Former mayoral candidate Brandon Abtosway visits the sub-basement to talk about why he ran, why he dropped out, what he learned. Plus, Skuare is coming to downtown. What's up with that? Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.
City hall reporters, Larissa Kurz from the Leader Post and Alex Quon from the CBC are in the subbasement for the first QCIB political panel for the 2024 election season. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, Regina community radio.
A candidate has dropped out of the mayoral race and we honour their now-defunct campaign in song / butcher Tracy Chapman's Fast Cars. Plus, council is cramming some massively important decisions into their last handful of meetings. We look at how the Indoor Aquatic Centre and Library Central Branch are still causing controversy and keeping council in chambers for hours upon hours. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Apologies to Tracy Chapman. Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.
We talk with Kim Sare, senior planner with the City of Regina, about the consultation on the Scarth St pedestrian mall (aka the FW Hill Mall). We find out why they're changing the street, what they've heard, what they're thinking about, what is possible. Then, election update as more mayoral candidates emerge bringing the total number up to seven. And, council debates another possible location for a permanent emergency shelter. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM C...
Two new, arguably legit contenders for the mayor's seat have emerged so we look at the state of the municipal election race for mid September. Plus, the Riders don't want to pay their back-rent. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.
Aidan couldn't make it to the meeting so instead of the usual nonsense, I held a dance party where I played tracks from the Infrastructure Playlist (first conceived & compiled by Elan Morgan). The podcast version here only includes short snippets from each song. About all that’s left here is an update on the 2024 city election, including coverage of the Regina & District Labour Council candidate endorsements which were announced on Labour Day. You can listen to the full episode, songs in...
Krystal Lewis of Progress Regina fame visits the subbasement to talk about progressive organizing around the municipal election, the current city council record and Hampton Hub. In the second half, we take a look at the city's decision to expand its debt limit. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.
