Demolition back on the table for site where Louis Riel's body was kept

The demolition of a downtown Regina building with a connection to Louis Riel is back on the table with a report heading to City Council on Wednesday. 

This should be a familiar topic for city council watchers.

The demolition of the Burns Hanley Building was up for debate last year but was ultimately voted down in a 9-1 vote. Instead, the issue was referred the province's Heritage Review Board. 

The report headed to council Wednesday is the result of that referral. 

It presents a recommendation from the review board that the City of Regina and the company that owns the property, Harvard Developments, consider a redevelopment plan that includes the preservation of the façade of the building. 

If the façade is not preserved during the demolition of the building than the redevelopment agreement could be negotiated to guarantee the reconstruction of the facade, the report reads. 

The reconstruction of the façade is the option preferred by Harvard Developments.

The company submitted an conceptual interim plan that would use the façade in the redevelopment of the site, which includes the construction of a mixed-use tower. 

The plan also proposes a pocket park on the site with a mural showing the façade of the building and heritage significance of the site. 

The Burns Hanley Building sits on the site once occupied by St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, which was built in 1883. That church was where Louis Riel's body was briefly kept after the Métis leader's execution in 1885, before it was sent to Winnipeg.

The Burns Hanley Building was constructed on the site in 1912, and is a designated heritage building in the city's Victoria Park Heritage Conservation District. Harvard applied for a permit to demolish the building in July 2021, citing its deteriorating condition. 

A 2019 engineering report by JCK Engineering found the building had undergone years of sustained water damage due to a damage roof and broken pipes. 

The report recommended $200,000 in repairs that would have helped to stabilize the building. 

No repairs were carried out.