Regina committee approves $40M increase to budget for new aquatic facility

Regina's elected officials have voted in favour of a larger budget for the city's new aquatic facility.

In a vote of 9-1, the city's executive committee approved a plan to fund a $40-million increase for the project — bringing the total to $285.1 million, up from the $245.1 million approved by the outgoing council in October 2024.

"Obviously voting on a cost increase, you're never going to feel good about that," said Deputy Mayor Sarah Turnbull, after Wednesday's vote. "But it was the best return for investment."

The increase in cost is the result of market volatility, the limited availability of skilled trades workers and further clarity on the scope of the project, according to a staff report.

The budget increase faces one final hurdle with a vote at city council meeting next week.

If passed, the city will cover the budget increase by redirecting $30 million from other projects and taking on an additional $10 million in debt, for a total of $156 million in debt financing for this project.

If approved, the city will be on the hook for $205.9 million in a project that was originally forecast to cost a total of $180 million in 2021.

The federal and provincial governments are contributing $79.2 million though a federal government infrastructure program.

The latest budget update is a Class B estimate, which means it's considered accurate within a margin of error of 10 to 15 per cent.

First indoor pool to be built in Regina in 35 years

The last time the City of Regina built an indoor pool was in 1990. In 1991, the population of Regina was 191,000 people according to Statistics Canada. The city's population grew to 249,000 as of 2021.

The disconnect between a growing population and a lack of aquatic amenities is why a new indoor aquatic facility is the top priority in the city's recreation master plan.

A new facility was also a central part of Sandra Masters' successful mayoral campaign in 2020.

Groups that rely on the aging Lawson facility, which only has one 50-metre long pool and is close to the end of it's life, have been calling for a new pool for years.

The new aquatic facility is designed to have two 50-metre pools, which would allow it to host national-level competitive swimming events.

Tracy Moser with the Regina Piranhas Summer Swim Club urged council to approve the budget increase on Wednesday.

"What if we could dream big? What if we had access to a world-class facility with space for multiple swim clubs, multiple aquatic sports, plus leisure swimmers, swim lessons, life-saving courses, all at the same time?" Moser asked.

The new facility will be built on the land that used to house Taylor Field, which is right behind the Lawson pool.

Councillors that campaigned on cutting waste and expensive projects attempted to find a cost-cutting solution, but didn't find a receptive audience in the majority of their fellow councillors or the public.

"Wascana Pool — which is brand new, a nice state of the art facility — what's your thoughts if we put a roof over that one and cancelled this project?" Ward 10 Coun. Clark Bezo asked Moser.

"Is that a serious question?" Moser responded.

The staff report says maintaining the current scope of the project will help the available pool space keep up with the expected growth of the community over the next 20 years, while also centralizing services in one section through a connection to the fieldhouse.

Geothermal facility

One feature not included in the potential rescoping is the geothermal heating system meant to heat the facility.

The geothermal heating system is currently budgeted at $28.5 million. Staff do say the facility will help the city get to net-zero carbon emissions, which is a key goal of Regina.

Ward 1 Coun. Dan Rashovich put forward a motion to strip the geothermal project system out of the project and instead use natural gas as the fuel source.

It was defeated by a majority of councillors.

Council did pass three amendments to the report.

The first will require Mayor Chad Bachynski to lobby the provincial government to forgo collecting provincial sales tax on the facility's construction.

Another will see the city explore using the geothermal facility to develop a district energy system for the planned development on the Taylor Field lands.

A final amendment will provide council with a more detailed cost breakdown at next week's city council meeting.

The City of Regina says construction on the new aquatic facility is set to begin this fall, with completion scheduled for 2029.