Regina's mayor looks to make roads and pipes 'exciting' to get residents' buy-in on infratructure projects
CBC
With a city council full of rookie politicians, Regina's new mayor is aware that he's in for a challenge.
Chad Bachynski admits that he's had to approach everything about leading a city of more 230,000 people with an "open mind."
He said he's still learning about the job, and working to forge relationships with the men and women bringing very different views to the horseshoe-shaped table at Regina city hall.
"We accept that we're not gonna agree on everything. What we did commit to is to explain our position, not to convince, necessarily, somebody to change their mind, but just to say, 'This is the why I feel this way' and come from a place of understanding," Bachynski said.
"I think that's going to serve us well."
In a year-end interview with CBC, Bachynski laid out how he plans to govern, his priorities and how he plans to do it all with a sense of optimism.
Regina's previous city council was widely viewed as dysfunctional.
There were multiple code of conduct complaints filed against members, motions to introduce policies aimed at specific councillors, and meetings that lasted hours longer than necessary as frustrated politicians sparred with one another.
Bachynski said he wants the recently sworn-in council, which features eight rookie councillors and two veteran members, to avoid those pitfalls.
It's why the mechanical engineer and manager at SaskEnergy got into the mayoral race in the first place.
"There's some tactical things that I think everybody was frustrated with," Bachynski said.
Having lived in neighbourhoods across Regina, the 39-year-old said he felt occupying the top political seat in the city would allow him to have the biggest effect.
Even though Bachynski had no political experience before the campaign, beyond sitting on some boards and committees, he believes he's well suited to the job.
"I was the one that usually struck up a random conversation with people and now they're coming to me," he said.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
More than 400 children under the age of one have received the measles vaccine in Manitoba since the government expanded eligibility for the shot last month due to a growing number of cases.
Wildfires continue to rage in northern Saskatchewan as the province faces its worst fire season in more than a decade.
Four in five of the wildfires so far in Saskatchewan this year have been caused by humans — the vast majority of them accidentally. But experts say part of the reason they've spread so far, so fast, is another human factor: climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
Just a block away from the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan there's a garden uniting green thumbs in Lloydminster.
Shelley Lindaas has long dreamed of seeing a Kermode bear cub in person.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report outlining the events leading to the death of Erixon Kabera answered some questions for his family and friends, but many remain.
Syed Hassan says he doesn't like to complain much. But when his wife told him she got a parking ticket on Thursday night, he knew he needed to speak out.
Following the public outcry over the Jian Ghomeshi case, some legal scholars and sexual assault survivor advocates lauded changes made to the Criminal Code that would prevent defence lawyers from surprising complainants at trial with past emails or text messages with the defendant.
The Waterloo Region District School Board has been talking a lot about the word "family" this month.
At Pedro's Island Eatery in North Rustico, owner Pedro Gameiro has long been not a fan of using seed oils for frying
The parking lot of the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse was full on Friday, and the building surrounded by well-dressed young people and their proud families. Despite the smoky conditions in the city, there was much to celebrate.
Toronto has moved one step closer to allowing fiveplexes and sixplexes in neighbourhoods across the city.
Warning: Some readers may find photos in this story distressing.