Queen City Improvement Bureau

Belle Plaine has a new album out, The Weather, so she drops by with guitarist Bryn Besse to play some songs. Plus, very quick city council update. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

University of Regina professor Sean Tucker visits the subbasement to provide his quinquennial update on the Co-op Refinery. In this report, he focuses on Co-op's discretionary use application for a work camp on their site. Is this in anticipation of imminent labour unrest? Who can say. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

We go looking for the promised Bell Fabric AI Data Centre Discovery Centre with Councillor Sarah Turnbull. Plus, city council passed the Turnbull/Flores/Radons/Zachidniak motion to get more information about the AI data centre being built in the RM of Sherwood. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

We've heard rumours that somewhere beyond the borders of the Queen City there's an "AI data centre" currently being built. Sounds like it might be kind of a big deal. Simon Enoch from the Canadian Centre For Policy Alternatives drops into the subbasement to educate us on it. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

Brian, Emily and CG from Growing Young Movers find their way into the subbasement to talk about what they're accomplishing in North Central. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

Like Christmas and Halloween, Regina City Budget season starts sooner every year. In fact, the Bureau has been deep into early budget celebrations since July! In this meeting, we talk about council's spring & summer 2027 budget preview meetings and the impact that their Strategic Imperative to keep taxes below 5.81% is having on their discussions. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally bro...

Councillor Tsiklis wonders if we were paying attention city council this week. INDEED WE WERE, COUNCILLOR! We saw how his Service Project Prioritization Motion died an ignoble death! We even know what it's about! And we noticed that council changed the Brandt/REAL Deal AND WE HAVE QUESTIONS!!! We also talk about the Skuare in downtown and why it's spelled weird and we noticed the city has new/old...

Luke Grazier, Regina's manager of city projects, visits the subbasement to talk about the recently released 2026 Growth Monitoring Report. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

Council Victoria Flores and official "Young Person" Liam Colhoun visit the sub-basement to discuss the Summer City Council Boot Camp and Mock City Council. Plus, city admin may be working on an AI data centre policy, the Regina City Jamia Masjid received approval for their Friday call-to-prayer. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

j wallace skelton visits the subbasement to talk about becoming (in)famous for being a UofR education professor and a trans person at the same time! We also talk about the hullabaloo that right-wing bullies are making about a downtown mosque's call to prayer. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

We meet with Evan Guenther, the city's director of sustainable infrastructure to talk about the Wascana Parkway Extension Project, the Arcola Avenue Corridor Study & the Residential Road Renewal Program. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

The Queen City Improvement Bureau escaped the subbasement and rode the #60 Arcola Express out to the sustainable Tim's on Chuka Boulevard. We ate donuts! With guests! With us on our fried-dough adventure: transit union president Sukhwinder Gainda, transit operator Colin Lea-Wilson, and Ward 8 City Councillor Shanon Zachidniak! We talk transit, free transit, transit troubles! Theme by Ryan Hill (ak...

We talk about the Road Renewal Annual Report, the Concrete Reduction Report and the Johnson Collegiate Fare-Free Transit Pilot. Plus, tunes from the Infrastructure Playlist. Theme by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.

Local art-pop actualizer Natural Sympathies visits the subbasement (with their wolves) to talk about their new album then makes the Bureau Boys take a Love Survey. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

The QCIB was live at the Artesian on May 20 as part of the 2026 Cathedral Village Arts Festival. This is that show. Many thanks to our guests Pat Book & Cheryl Stadnichuk and to our collaborators/coconspirators Ron Loos, Carter Stenberg, Ada the Typical 20 Year Old Girl, and Stella Sale. Also, big thanks to Jo Bates, Neil Adams and Pearl Bogdan for their incredible behind-the-scenes support. Perfo...

Don Young and Andrew Stevens from the Cathedral Village Arts Festival visit the subbasement to talk about this year's event (May 18 to 23). Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

You know what this deal to sell Brandt half of the REAL campus sounds like? One big honkin' innovative revenue tool. So WHY wasn't the Queen City Improvement Bureau consulted on this? Innovative Revenue Tools are our whole thing. We get it. No one wants our valuable insights. Well, we're putting them together in a report anyway. Enjoy. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91...

Certified Improvement Vector, Pat Book, visits the subbasement again to talk about the experience of being the lone dissenting speaker on the REAL/Brandt Deal at the Apr 29 2026 Executive Committee meeting. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

Ward 9 Councillor Jason Mancinelli visits the subbasement to talk about SUMA, regional cooperation, AI data centres and his battle against concrete costs. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

Jean-Marc Nadeau, CEO of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, visits the subbasement to talk about challenges facing Sask cities and about SUMA's upcoming convention. Plus, John Kennedy, executive director of the Sask Cultural Exchange, drops in to preview the April 11 Acoustic Songwriter Showcase, a fundraiser to support the Exchange's Folk & Roots Concert Series. Plus some surprisi...

Ward 8 Councillor Shanon Zachidniak returns to the subbasement to talk about the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities convention, climate action in a municipal government context, concrete pipes, the library and that dread debt report. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

The Regina Public Library has had a pretty disappointing couple months. With the city announcing it doesn't have debt room available for projects like the Library Central Branch Restoration Project, the RPL has discovered they will have to shift gears on a procurement process that's already underway. RPL director Jeff Barber visits the subbasement to discuss how he's coping with the bad news. Musi...

Council raises transit fees by 10% and struggle to find money to fulfill their commitment to borrow money for Regina Public Library's Central Branch Renewal Project. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

Local author Suzy Krause visits the subbasement to talk about her award-winning apocalypse novel "I Think We've Been Here Before". Plus, the library’s plan to borrow money for the Central Branch redevelopment may be in peril. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR AccessNow community radio.

Don't know if you've heard but the ol'Queen City is growing! Growing like a weed in the summer! Growing like hope in playoff season! Like fondness as a heart grapples with absence. And to manage all that growing responsibly, city council recently passed an updated Growth Plan. It's a big, complicated document and to help us understand what it is, why it is and what it does, Deb Bryden, director of...