Queen City Improvement Bureau

Singer/songwriter Belle Plaine and guitar operator Bryn Besse visit the subbasement to play some tunes, talk some shit. Very music rich QCIB, this one. Music much too good for the likes of this office. We got v lucky. Theme music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.

Following up on last week's game of "Can Council Make Aidan's Head Explode", the Bureau does what Certain Councillors were too chicken to do: We put questions to the Good Trouble Network directly. Tiro & Kale are visiting the sub-basement to talk about the food assistance program they're bringing to the Heritage neighbourhood. Theme music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Additional music by Kimberley...

Don't you love it when council has a perfectly benign motion on their agenda that should pass quickly and be a good news story but somehow they find a way to make it gross and awful? And by "don't you love it?" I mean, "don't you hate it?" In this case, it's Clr Victoria Flores' food security motion which Clrs Bezo, Tsiklis & Rashovich brought so much of their conservative brand of yuck to. Aidan...

So… we sent our intern and CJTR’s erstwhile Prairie Naturalist, Sharrod Claerge, out to get us coffee like… years ago… (he insists his name is actually "Jared Clarke" and that he now has a “real job” but we don't believe him because that's exactly the kind of thing Sharrod would say, the jokester). Sharrod’s back - coffee-less (sigh) - to talk about "Salthaven West" and "wildlife rescue" and "cons...

Ward 6 councillor Victoria Flores visits the subbasement. She updates us on her Manufactured Homes motion and talks about the budget. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.

Jon & Kelly from the Queen City Urbanist Bookclub are back to chat about the four-day 2025 city budget process. It was… an adventure! Based off some councillors' performance, you should probably look up "Dunning Kruger Effect". It's a phrase that may come up a lot. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.

Ward 8 councillor Shanon Zachidniak visits the subbasement to talk about what it's like being the lone two-termer on council, the upcoming week of budget discussions, the Energy & Sustainability Framework, recycling, composting, housing and much more. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, AccessNow community radio.

John Kennedy and Chris Matchett visit the subbasement to promote the Not A Birthday Fundraiser on March 13 at the Exchange — which the QCIB will be hosting, as it happens. Plus, we discuss council voting down rental housing and their repeated failure to understand how referral motions work. Chris performs a couple songs. Theme music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR...

The Bureau gets a visit from the Jon and Kelly Lorenc from the Queen City Urbanist Bookclub. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.

In the first half, the tale of two municipal corporations. There is CSIR who is to die! And there is EDR who you will listen to and wish you were dead! In the second half, we have a surprise guest. AND IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE SURPRISE GUEST'S IDENTITY SPOILED READ NO FURTHER! okay… the surprise guest is new councillor Mark Burton from ward 4. Yes! The "compact urban squalor" guy. We talk to him abo...

Some great things passed at city council's first meeting of 2025 including a motion to consider giving surface parking lots their own property tax class, a pilot to explore giving high school students free transit, more. Also, Aidan hates numbers. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, Regina community radio.

Our new city council met for their first Executive Committee meeting of 2025 and we take a look at how they distinguished themselves. Spoilers: Sub-awesome. On the agenda, EX25-2 Regina Housing Needs Assessment, EX25-3 2025 Housing Incentives Policy Pilots & Revisions, EX25-4 Office to Residential Incentive Pilot and EX25-6 Speakers' Corner Drainage Renewal Project. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewi...

University of Regina geography professor Vanessa Mathews visits the subbasement to talk about two items coming to council: a motion to set a new property tax classification for nuisance and underused properties (like surface parking lots, for instance), and a motion to start a pilot program for free transit for high school kids. We also talk about the concept plan for the Scarth St pedestrian mall...

We got the Queen City's new mayor, Chad Bachynski, on the phone for 15 min at the crack of dawn so we could pin him down with questions about federal infrastructure funding, the Housing Accelerator Fund, residential upzoning and some ignorant, mildly sweary stuff that federal opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, said about cities. Seriously, what’s Poilievre’s damage? Plus, We're Number Five! And,...

Regina's new council has their first executive committee meeting and it starts with a tax-hike blooding to initiate in the newbs. Take that, Advance Regina! Plus, Pierre Poilievre declares war on all of Canada's cities. What's that guy's damage, anyway? Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.

It's our post-election WTF? episode. New councillors. Gone councillors. Advance Regina did stuff. Mayor rhymes with hair. You just know we're going to be riding that gag for four years. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.

The 2024 Regina municipal election finally reaches its climax as results pour in on Nov 13. The Queen City Improvement Bureau was there, capturing every moment of the drama. In the studio with us: renowned election nerds David Loblaw (of the drloblaw.com election site) and Pat Book (former city hall reporter for CJME & The 2024 Regina municipal election finally reaches its climax as results pour i...

Once again, we have city hall reporters Larissa Kurz from the Leader Post & Alex Quon from the CBC in the subbasement to talk about the 2024 city election. We cover all the shenanigans by shadowy forces who are attempting to influence voters. Plus, a mayoral candidate gets a big endorsement from a former mayor. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, Regina communi...

NINE FREAKING YEARS of this nonsense! Can you freaking believe it? The Queen City Improvement Bureau went on out over CJTR's airwaves for the first time on Oct 31 2015 and here we are, several elections, multiple scandals, a pandemic, some lawsuits, an asteroid impact, two robot revolutions, that incident with the time slip and a sorry episode with a hyperintelligent shark THAT WE HAD NOTHING TO D...

City election nerd and keeper of the best and most complete online list of council candidates, David Loblaw, visits the subbasement to talk about his love for elections and how he thought the candidates did in the Oct 20 Cathedral Mayoral Candidate Forum. Music by Ryan Hill (aka Guidewire). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.

Former mayoral candidate Brandon Abtosway visits the sub-basement to talk about why he ran, why he dropped out, what he learned. Plus, Skuare is coming to downtown. What's up with that? Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.

City hall reporters, Larissa Kurz from the Leader Post and Alex Quon from the CBC are in the subbasement for the first QCIB political panel for the 2024 election season. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR, Regina community radio.

A candidate has dropped out of the mayoral race and we honour their now-defunct campaign in song / butcher Tracy Chapman's Fast Cars. Plus, council is cramming some massively important decisions into their last handful of meetings. We look at how the Indoor Aquatic Centre and Library Central Branch are still causing controversy and keeping council in chambers for hours upon hours. Music by Ryan Hi...

We talk with Kim Sare, senior planner with the City of Regina, about the consultation on the Scarth St pedestrian mall (aka the FW Hill Mall). We find out why they're changing the street, what they've heard, what they're thinking about, what is possible. Then, election update as more mayoral candidates emerge bringing the total number up to seven. And, council debates another possible location for...

Two new, arguably legit contenders for the mayor's seat have emerged so we look at the state of the municipal election race for mid September. Plus, the Riders don't want to pay their back-rent. Music by Guidewire (aka Ryan Hill). Originally broadcast on 91.3FM CJTR.