Mandatory sprinkler systems in new residential builds voted down by Regina city council
Mandatory fire sprinkler systems in new residential builds and the Arcola Avenue corridor study were some of the items on Regina City Council’s agenda for its Wednesday afternoon meeting.
City council voted down a motion that would have mandated fire sprinkler systems in new residential builds.
The motion was defeated in a 9-1 vote.
Landon Mohl was the sole councillor to vote in favour of the mandatory residential sprinklers, telling council the cost of installation is a very low price compared to a person’s life.
“Please choose to save people’s lives,” he said to council moments before the vote.
A total of 16 groups were scheduled to speak about the recommendation. The majority opposed the motion.
Chris Guerette, CEO of the Saskatchewan Realtors Association, attended a rally outside city hall before expressing her opposition at the council meeting.
Guerette said the industry is already facing challenges that are driving up housing and building prices. Adding a residential sprinkler mandate will only had to affordability concerns, she said.
She said the industry is regulated by the national building code for a reason, and highlighted that a national task force struck down the idea of mandatory automatic sprinkler systems in 2019.
“This is a classic example of not enough consultation with the appropriate experts in terms of bringing in policy that impacts housing dramatically,” Guerette said.
“I’m sorry there’s no municipality in Saskatchewan that can replicate that process right now in an effective, cost efficient way.”
It’s expected mandatory fire sprinkler systems would add around $5,000 to new residential builds in some scenarios.
Mayor Sandra Masters said the amount of pushback from industry stakeholders helped educate council in its vote. Evidence shows new builds and new neighbourhoods are less likely to experience house fires, she said.
“Safety is of paramount importance,” Masters said.
“There’s already a commitment within the Fire Master Plan to educate and work with homebuilders to talk about educating new home buyers about the opportunity to install sprinklers.”
City statistics show 10 people died in house fires from 2017 to 2021. None of those fires were in new builds.
ARCOLA AVENUE CORRIDOR STUDY
City council unanimously passed a motion in favour of the Arcola Avenue Corridor study.
The Arcola Avenue corridor study laid out a sweeping list of proposed improvements to roadways in the southeast part of Regina that would amount to a total estimated cost of around $76 million.
Two recommendations from administration were discussed in regard to the study.
The first was that council would direct administration to include a consultant’s long term recommendations in future planning of the project.
The second was having administration bring a supplementary report to council during the next budget consideration.
That would include planning to redistribute $42.3 million from long to medium term project planning to speed up the process of the project and also possible financial implications that could come with speeding up the project.
Between 2016 and 2020 there were 639 collisions reported to police on Arcola Ave. between Park St. and Chuka Blvd.
Jack Huntington, a spokesperson for a number of housing units that back onto Prince of Wales Drive, addressed council on Wednesday.
He said the group opposes the extension of Prince of Wales Drive.
“We believe that this is an expensive option that has significant obstacles that would need to be dealt with before any approval should be considered,” Huntington said.
Huntington said there would be a number of long-term consequences to extending roadways near residential communities, such as noise and pollution and that it would negatively affect the resale of properties in the future.
The roadway extension would also conflict with the McKell Wascana Conservation Park, which is a large undisturbed nature reserve, he added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.