REGINA - Safer communities, financial transparency and a focus on infrastructure and jobs are the major priorities for Sandra Masters in her election platform.
Masters released her re-election platform on Wednesday morning, titled Moving Regina Forward. The incumbent is pledging to build on her 2020 platform commitments by focusing on four major areas.
The first is building safer communities. Masters said she is pledging “to continue to fund fire and police appropriately while also continuing to advocate for and to invest in community-serving programs.
“This means things like prioritizing investments in school crosswalks to lighting in downtown and across the city. Establishing neighborhood watch programs in collaboration with the Regina Police Service. Things like planning for the next rapid housing initiative. We know it's needed, and we're expecting it to be offered, so let's get ready.”
Masters also is pledging financial accountability and transparency, calling for proper financial reporting and making that easily accessible to the public.
“Some examples of the things I know we need are measuring the progress and performance of approved budget items,” she said. “Both capital and operating, and moving towards monthly variance reporting and forecasting. Things like reviewing our material management systems to ensure effective, accountable use of our supplies from fuel to fleet.”
Masters also is committing to improved city infrastructure.
Masters said the city must ensure “that what we have is in good working order, and invest proactively to fix and maintain infrastructure prior to failure. We cannot wait for crisis. Look to what happened in Calgary.
"When things fail, they cost more, with more impact to residents. That's why improved city infrastructure is a continuous goal.”
Masters pledged to continue to prioritize water and pipe replacement and relining, and expand “the coordinated infrastructure renewal planning that we're already doing across all projects, big and small, within the city.”
On her fourth plank, people and jobs, Masters said she believed in a “strong economy and a wide tax base.”
“Those things are necessary to employ people and to fund social and cultural programs. It's also important that there are places that exist in our city to gather, to enjoy art, entertainment, and to recreate. Our cities exist to create space for people and jobs.”
Masters said she wanted to explore “incentive programs for expansion and relocation of small and medium-sized businesses within the city of Regina.” She also said she wants to improve the digital experience at the City, and continue investment to “create vibrant public spaces that foster community connections and economic growth.”
Masters also made an additional pledge that wasn’t in the platform: she said she believed in term limits for mayors, and pledged the next term would be her last as Mayor.
“This job requires a massive amount of energy,” she said, adding that “I think there's a piece of this which it would be time to step aside and let someone else with renewed passion and vision to step into that.”
But she also told the audience at her campaign event at the Studio at Cornwall there was more work to be done.
“We need to finish the work we started. And for all of the initiatives that are underway that have continued to improve vibrancy, inclusivity, cost savings, efficiencies, we need to keep going,” Masters said.
“I am more committed now than I was four years ago. I understand more what's at stake. We can't afford to go backwards, can't afford to stand still, or start again.”
Competitive race for mayor
Masters’ platform release comes on the heels of the campaign launches of her main competitors in the mayor’s race, a race that currently includes 11 candidates.
On his website candidate Bill Pratt has called for a city council that “leads with integrity, cohesion, and respect,” as well as an inviting downtown, a growing population and tax base, leadership in contributing to the social well-being of its citizens, and community pride.
Chad Bachynski’s two key campaign pillars are addressing public safety and high crime rates, as well as addressing affordability challenges. He pointed to property tax increases “without seeing the matching invested value in the city,” according to his website.
Lori Bresciani has focused on fiscal responsibility and concern about the city’s debt, as well as concern about growing costs for catalyst projects such as the central library and the new Aquatic Centre. Bresciani in particular has called for looking at renovating the existing Lawson Aquatic Centre and then building another pool as well.
Masters was asked by reporters if the aquatic centre has become a wedge issue in the campaign.
“I think it’s an easy wedge issue,” Masters said. ”I think that it’s easy to pick away at projects that some deem not necessary.”
She added the Lawson Aquatic Centre “has been a foundational piece of civic infrastructure and public enjoyment for 50 years. Our job is to ensure the next 50 years that the next generation of folks have access to those similar facilities… I would suggest it’s a bit of politics, because anybody that has served on council has spoken for that indoor aquatic facility’s need to proceed, and I think the fact that we didn’t start planning for it and preparing for it in 2009 has cost the taxpayers of the city of Regina millions of dollars. So if we would like it to cost $1 million more I suppose we can wait.”
Impact of provincial vote results on Regina
Masters was also asked about the result of the provincial election with all 12 Regina ridings won by opposition NDP MLAs. She was asked how important it was for the mayor to have those relationships with the provincial government, given those results.
“I think the mayoral positions in our two major cities are more important than ever,” Masters said. She pointed to the relationships she had been able to build over the last four years, though Masters also pointed out “I have good relationships with a number of the returning MLAs from the NDP, from the opposition, and it really is understanding what they're trying to advance and what their positions are. They're residents of the city of Regina, so I'm their mayor as well.”
She also spoke of the recent discussion since that vote about an urban- rural divide. She said Regina “depends on southern Saskatchewan, between the Airport, events like Canadian-Western Agribition, from advanced manufacturing, value-added agriculture, agri-tech, we depend on those dollars coming in and having them spend some time in our city...
“And so I think that those relationships and our relationships and awareness about our urban-rural connection is enormously significant. Always.”
