Regina Construction IV

[Festivus]

More information from Reddit on the Brandt proposal. There are a few more hidden costs (i.e. subsidies to Brandt) than the media has so far reported.

• After the $6.5 million sale goes through, taxpayers will be required to pay Brandt $9 million over he next two years for an “operational cost adjustment”
  
• the City leases two major properties to Brandt for the company to operate for at least 50 years (and up to 99), for which Brandt will pay the City a dollar a year; in exchange the City will provide $550,000 for a “fixed capital maintenance reserve fee.” Except that fee isn’t fixed, it will go up at least 2% every year, so after 50 years we’ll be paying them over $1.3 million in a year and a total of over $28 million after 50 years. Just for maintenance. Those buildings will surely be sparkling.
  
• The report seems to suggest the City would be required to pay up to $2 million in costs for a new entrance to the property from Sask Drive if Brandt decides they want one. Why anyone would want to put another intersection at Sask Drive is another question all together. I guess them Semple boys really love waiting on trains?
  
• It also seems to suggest that, when Brandt gets full use of the stadium for up to two events a year (for which they get to retain all the money from food and beverage sales), the City must pay costs for police, transportation plan management, fire, and bylaw enforcement services.
  
• The City has to pay costs for subdivision of the sale lands and any costs associated with changes to the OCP and zoning bylaw.
  
• The City is also on the hook for potential severance for every REAL employee let go in the two years after sale. Considering Brandt will be operating almost the entire property and its sole remit is to attract and execute events, it doesn’t seem likely REAL will need to exist. So what will it cost to pay severance for the 50 or so people that work there? Probably a bunch?

I think I am opposed to this deal (not that it matters, because the city is going to rubberstamp it). If Brandt truly wanted to just buy the land, then okay, let them buy some of the most central land in the city at market value. But that's not what this is, it's a corporate subsidy to ensure that Brandt can operate events and make money while the taxpayer has to subsidize the events. Also, say goodbye to hundreds of unionized, okay-paying jobs (and say hello to fewer, crappy jobs at Brandt, one of the worst employers in the city).

This isn't a defense of REAL...but exchanging REAL for Brandt is like a devil's deal.

[gecho111]

They are doing the support work for the north Albert bridge in a different order than last year. Last year they did the center pier first then started the north abutment later. They have a lot of rebar in on the north end and are just starting the center pier.

I took another look at the Litchi app for planning drone missions. It will be very useful for pre-planning flights, also make it easy to do timelapses where the drone gradually changes position. You can specify a paths and targets for the camera to point at. There's a 3D preview so I can get an idea of what will be recorded.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/reginaconstruction/

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by Festivus

More information from Reddit on the Brandt proposal. There are a few more hidden costs (i.e. subsidies to Brandt) than the media has so far reported.

• After the $6.5 million sale goes through, taxpayers will be required to pay Brandt $9 million over he next two years for an “operational cost adjustment”
  
• the City leases two major properties to Brandt for the company to operate for at least 50 years (and up to 99), for which Brandt will pay the City a dollar a year; in exchange the City will provide $550,000 for a “fixed capital maintenance reserve fee.” Except that fee isn’t fixed, it will go up at least 2% every year, so after 50 years we’ll be paying them over $1.3 million in a year and a total of over $28 million after 50 years. Just for maintenance. Those buildings will surely be sparkling.
  
• The report seems to suggest the City would be required to pay up to $2 million in costs for a new entrance to the property from Sask Drive if Brandt decides they want one. Why anyone would want to put another intersection at Sask Drive is another question all together. I guess them Semple boys really love waiting on trains?
  
• It also seems to suggest that, when Brandt gets full use of the stadium for up to two events a year (for which they get to retain all the money from food and beverage sales), the City must pay costs for police, transportation plan management, fire, and bylaw enforcement services.
  
• The City has to pay costs for subdivision of the sale lands and any costs associated with changes to the OCP and zoning bylaw.
  
• The City is also on the hook for potential severance for every REAL employee let go in the two years after sale. Considering Brandt will be operating almost the entire property and its sole remit is to attract and execute events, it doesn’t seem likely REAL will need to exist. So what will it cost to pay severance for the 50 or so people that work there? Probably a bunch?

I think I am opposed to this deal (not that it matters, because the city is going to rubberstamp it). If Brandt truly wanted to just buy the land, then okay, let them buy some of the most central land in the city at market value. But that's not what this is, it's a corporate subsidy to ensure that Brandt can operate events and make money while the taxpayer has to subsidize the events. Also, say goodbye to hundreds of unionized, okay-paying jobs (and say hello to fewer, crappy jobs at Brandt, one of the worst employers in the city).

This isn't a defense of REAL...but exchanging REAL for Brandt is like a devil's deal.

I support this deal. These assets in City hands will never make money and as set forth in the meeting packet will continue to be a huge drag on the Civic budget. You are cherry picking only the City's obligations here. Brandt is assuming massive liabilities and risks. This is an opportunity to breath new life into the REAL campus. They City could have tried, but as we have seen, they are not good at this.

Also one error in list. Brandt is paying the $550K per year into the capital reserve for the ITC, not the City.

You are correct that this will be approved. Lefties on council see the opportunity to free up cash for their pet social justice projects and moderates and right-wing councilors will be looking to get the City out of a money losing business.

Finally, Reddit is a terrible place to get information about such things.

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by Stormer

I support this deal. These assets in City hands will never make money and as set forth in the meeting packet will continue to be a huge drag on the Civic budget. You are cherry picking only the City's obligations here. Brandt is assuming massive liabilities and risks. This is an opportunity to breath new life into the REAL campus. They City could have tried, but as we have seen, they are not good at this.

Also one error in list. Brandt is paying the $550K per year into the capital reserve for the ITC, not the City.

You are correct that this will be approved. Lefties on council see the opportunity to free up cash for their pet social justice projects and moderates and right-wing councilors will be looking to get the City out of a money losing business.

Finally, Reddit is a terrible place to get information about such things.

The Regina subreddit is so bizarre. It's astonishing how out of touch it is with the real world.

[The mayor]

Originally Posted by Stormer

I support this deal. These assets in City hands will never make money and as set forth in the meeting packet will continue to be a huge drag on the Civic budget. You are cherry picking only the City's obligations here. Brandt is assuming massive liabilities and risks. This is an opportunity to breath new life into the REAL campus. They City could have tried, but as we have seen, they are not good at this.

Also one error in list. Brandt is paying the $550K per year into the capital reserve for the ITC, not the City.

You are correct that this will be approved. Lefties on council see the opportunity to free up cash for their pet social justice projects and moderates and right-wing councilors will be looking to get the City out of a money losing business.

Finally, Reddit is a terrible place to get information about such things.

Your the smart one here

[MolsonExport]

You're?

[The mayor]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

You're?

https://www.cjme.com/2026/04/27/reginas-real-district-sale-plan-draws-support-calls-for-caution/
Regina’s REAL District sale plan draws support, calls for caution

He added that potential upgrades to aging infrastructure at the facilities could benefit both users and fans.

“For them to be willing to give that type of commitment to do some upgrades, I think that’s definitely promising,” Reich said.

At city hall, some councillors are also backing the proposal, pointing to what they see as a shift in responsibility

[Festivus]

Originally Posted by Stormer

I support this deal. These assets in City hands will never make money and as set forth in the meeting packet will continue to be a huge drag on the Civic budget. You are cherry picking only the City's obligations here. Brandt is assuming massive liabilities and risks. This is an opportunity to breath new life into the REAL campus. They City could have tried, but as we have seen, they are not good at this.

Also one error in list. Brandt is paying the $550K per year into the capital reserve for the ITC, not the City.

You are correct that this will be approved. Lefties on council see the opportunity to free up cash for their pet social justice projects and moderates and right-wing councilors will be looking to get the City out of a money losing business.

Finally, Reddit is a terrible place to get information about such things.

If the goal of this land is to operate public event spaces, then I think making money shouldn't be one of the core goals (same with things like roads, schools, etc - they are services for the public, subsidized by taxes). However, there's also a requirement to still operate things prudently, which REAL has not done. But the solution to that is to have the city dissolve REAL and take over directly and make big changes.

If the goal is not to operate public event spaces, then I think there should be two options:

• Use the land for different public use - In this case, you tear down much of the old buildings (including Brandt Centre) and use it for something else. Or lease some of the land for private operations such as hotels, new arenas, etc
• Sell the land at market value - It's a giant chunk of land at the centre of the city. If you sold it to a developer to use for whatever they want, then the city would get a lot more money than what Brandt is paying

Instead, we're going to get a frankenstein situation of still having public events, but any profit is going to the private sector while the taxpayer subsidizes it. Socialize the losses and privatize the profits, effectively.

[The mayor]

https://www.sasktoday.ca/regina-today/re...ing-147m-into-2026-construction-12199554
Regina investing $147M into 2026 construction
Regina is kicking off its 2026 construction season with $147 million in projects underway, as crews begin major work on 11th Avenue, the Albert Street overpass and the Lewvan-Dewdney intersection.

[gecho111]

5 pile drillers at the Costco site now. I think that work will wrap up this week. A couple photos of the Riffel highschool expansion I took a week ago. The Credit Foncier building foundation is fully filled in now. They were hauling rubble and delivering dirt last week. The forecast for today was mainly sunny but it was overcast all day, so I didn't do a couple of the timelapses I planned to record.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/reginaconstruction/

[The mayor]

https://flic.kr/p/2s9VTSF
Thank you for your photos
How many wings is this long-term care home gonna have it looks like four

[The mayor]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bZEMFMtWc/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Here are the renderings Brandt will be presenting to city council this Wednesday of their vision to buy for $6.5M and renovate (minimum $15M) the Brandt Centre into a world-class event complex.

The Brandt Centre will feature a new parking lot, new access from Sask Drive, new exterior, new digital signage, new sound system, new digital power ring, upgraded interior, new seat options, and more. All this in addition to the premier sports bar and distillery adjoining the Brandt centre which is currently under construction.

[PrairiePrince]

Originally Posted by The mayor

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bZEMFMtWc/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Here are the renderings Brandt will be presenting to city council this Wednesday of their vision to buy for $6.5M and renovate (minimum $15M) the Brandt Centre into a world-class event complex.

The Brandt Centre will feature a new parking lot, new access from Sask Drive, new exterior, new digital signage, new sound system, new digital power ring, upgraded interior, new seat options, and more. All this in addition to the premier sports bar and distillery adjoining the Brandt centre which is currently under construction.

I thought this building was end of life? How could $15M in this construction environment be anything more than lipstick on a pig? If the Brandt Centre can be rejuvenated for $15M, even that means only 7-10 more years of use, then this civic asset should absolutely not be sold for nothing. This council appears to have no interest in anything beyond infrastructure, and no vision for making Regina a better city long term.

I'd love to think that this wasn't just a land grab at a very opportune time, but the only other development this group has done was an attempt to build a building no one wanted in Wascana park. There's no track record of positive urban development and I am not aware of public assets like this being transferred to a private company, in which tax players didn't pay for it in subsidies and tax breaks.

[The mayor]

Originally Posted by Festivus

More information from Reddit on the Brandt proposal. There are a few more hidden costs (i.e. subsidies to Brandt) than the media has so far reported.

• After the $6.5 million sale goes through, taxpayers will be required to pay Brandt $9 million over he next two years for an “operational cost adjustment”
  
• the City leases two major properties to Brandt for the company to operate for at least 50 years (and up to 99), for which Brandt will pay the City a dollar a year; in exchange the City will provide $550,000 for a “fixed capital maintenance reserve fee.” Except that fee isn’t fixed, it will go up at least 2% every year, so after 50 years we’ll be paying them over $1.3 million in a year and a total of over $28 million after 50 years. Just for maintenance. Those buildings will surely be sparkling.
  
• The report seems to suggest the City would be required to pay up to $2 million in costs for a new entrance to the property from Sask Drive if Brandt decides they want one. Why anyone would want to put another intersection at Sask Drive is another question all together. I guess them Semple boys really love waiting on trains?
  
• It also seems to suggest that, when Brandt gets full use of the stadium for up to two events a year (for which they get to retain all the money from food and beverage sales), the City must pay costs for police, transportation plan management, fire, and bylaw enforcement services.
  
• The City has to pay costs for subdivision of the sale lands and any costs associated with changes to the OCP and zoning bylaw.
  
• The City is also on the hook for potential severance for every REAL employee let go in the two years after sale. Considering Brandt will be operating almost the entire property and its sole remit is to attract and execute events, it doesn’t seem likely REAL will need to exist. So what will it cost to pay severance for the 50 or so people that work there? Probably a bunch?

I think I am opposed to this deal (not that it matters, because the city is going to rubberstamp it). If Brandt truly wanted to just buy the land, then okay, let them buy some of the most central land in the city at market value. But that's not what this is, it's a corporate subsidy to ensure that Brandt can operate events and make money while the taxpayer has to subsidize the events. Also, say goodbye to hundreds of unionized, okay-paying jobs (and say hello to fewer, crappy jobs at Brandt, one of the worst employers in the city).

This isn't a defense of REAL...but exchanging REAL for Brandt is like a devil's deal.

This is the exact thing you where accusing me of , agreed agreed

[The mayor]

Originally Posted by PrairiePrince

I thought this building was end of life? How could $15M in this construction environment be anything more than lipstick on a pig? If the Brandt Centre can be rejuvenated for $15M, even that means only 7-10 more years of use, then this civic asset should absolutely not be sold for nothing. This council appears to have no interest in anything beyond infrastructure, and no vision for making Regina a better city long term.

I'd love to think that this wasn't just a land grab at a very opportune time, but the only other development this group has done was an attempt to build a building no one wanted in Wascana park. There's no track record of positive urban development and I am not aware of public assets like this being transferred to a private company, in which tax players didn't pay for it in subsidies and tax breaks.

You are correct I’m sure it will be torn down and a new one built the city has no desire to build anything. It’s been like that for the last 50 years they don’t care all they care about is servers and pipes and toilets. Which is quite the embarrassment.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by PrairiePrince

I thought this building was end of life? How could $15M in this construction environment be anything more than lipstick on a pig? If the Brandt Centre can be rejuvenated for $15M, even that means only 7-10 more years of use, then this civic asset should absolutely not be sold for nothing. This council appears to have no interest in anything beyond infrastructure, and no vision for making Regina a better city long term.

I'd love to think that this wasn't just a land grab at a very opportune time, but the only other development this group has done was an attempt to build a building no one wanted in Wascana park. There's no track record of positive urban development and I am not aware of public assets like this being transferred to a private company, in which tax players didn't pay for it in subsidies and tax breaks.

We hear that end-of-life bull$hit all the time regarding civic infrastructure. Whether it's a pool, arena, bridge or whatever. It's a way for officials and their contractor friends to sell their pet projects to a clueless taxpayers. It's at end of life until you own it. Yes the Brandt Centre is 50 years old but it is in remarkably good condition. It is also the right size for the Pats and most events. Sure there are a few bigger events that could use more seats, but are not big enough for Mosaic. I hardly think it is worth $500 million for at best 5-6 extra concerts that would probably be in Saskatoon anyway. How much would you need to charge for tickets to justify that cost (hint: way more than anyone would pay).

Two issues I think are legit complaints about the Brandt Centre are the ice plant, which was crappy since day one and would require jackhammering out the floor to fix; and secondly the concourse widths. Also the acoustics are still not great even after all the mitigation efforts. Completing the west end upper deck would add seats and reduce the acoustic issues. Those seats would be useless for most concerts though and would add to the concourse issues.

[Stormer]

I support this deal. Of course it is not ideal, but we have no choice after decades of neglect and mismanagement. It is interesting that the interior changes to the Brandt Centre are all the kind that make money selling ads - ribbon boards and LED rink boards.

[The mayor]

https://www.ckom.com/2026/04/28/renderin...nas-brandt-centre-other-real-facilities/
Renderings reveal vision for Regina’s Brandt Centre, other REAL facilities

Brandt says total investment would exceed $100 million
Brandt’s own breakdown of the purchase price is as follows:

$6.5 million purchase price;
$1 million previously committed for distillery project;
$73.5 million in deferred maintenance which is outlined in a previous consultant’s report;
Win win for every one even the ones with dementia who don’t think so

[Stormer]

$73.5 million in deferred maintenance which is outlined in a previous consultant’s report;

Including this in the "purchase consideration" reminds me of a time when a friend bought a car for his wife from another friend and negotiated price reduction because it needed new tires. When the seller friend later asked the buyer's wife how the new tires were, she said: Oh no, we never bought new tires!

[The mayor]

Originally Posted by Stormer

Including this in the "purchase consideration" reminds me of a time when a friend bought a car for his wife from another friend and negotiated price reduction because it needed new tires. When the seller friend later asked the buyer's wife how the new tires were, she said: Oh no, we never bought new tires!

Same goes for every mayor since
Pat
He got the stadium belt. He did something. The other ones were useless as a tits on a board they deferred everything.
The only other good thing was Henry Baker’s last erection we all know what that is