REGINA Several new items were approved at City Council’s final meeting of 2020 on Wednesday. Council approved increasing Regina Exhibition Association Limited’s debt limit by $8 million to $21 million. A proposal from REAL said it was struggling to make money due to a lack of events this year. Council also approved providing $700,000 a year to REAL starting in 2021 to help pay debts. A McDonald’s planned to be built on the Evraz Place campus was given a 40 year lease by council. A long discussion surrounding the process lead to council asking administration to develop a report looking at creating an open and transparent procurement process with REAL, for choosing businesses on the Evraz Place campus and how local businesses apply.
REGINA Regina City Council will meet for the final time in 2020 on Wednesday, to discuss a possible McDonalds at Evraz Place, and the former Capital Pointe project site. Council is set to decide whether to allow REAL to take on more debt and provide it with a yearly cash injection. A proposal from REAL said the pandemic has caused unexpected debts. City administration estimated REAL will need a grant of $700,000 per year to maintain operations and pay the debt. Council will also vote on whether to grant a 40 year lease to McDonald’s at Evraz Place. A group called Smith Street Lands Ltd. that includes lawyer Tony Merchant is asking for a partial property tax reduction on the old Capital Pointe project site at 1971 Albert St. In return, The Smith Street group proposes to pay $2,259,173.50 to cover the cost to backfill the site and the two to there years of property tax arrears. The group adds it plans to develop the site as soon as possible. The proposal said the site