REAL to ask City of Regina to approve $4M loan that will pay down debt
The Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) will be asking the City of Regina for $4 million to pay down its line of credit (LOC) at Wednesday’s council meeting.
At a recent city executive committee meeting, REAL’s report was presented by interim CEO Roberta Engel, Niki Anderson, and Charlene Callander, senior financial advisor.
Following the meeting, executive committee recommended that Regina city council approve REAL’s funding request so the organization can pay down its LOC and continue to operate into 2025.
According to city agenda notes, REAL will reach the maximum approved balance of their $6.8 million LOC in October, so will not have enough cashflow to operate into 2025.
In May of 2023, personal accounting firm MNP conducted a third-party financial review of REAL. The report found that the organization would not be able to continue operations moving forward.
That same month, the City of Regina gave REAL permission to access $3.4 million in its current line of credit so REAL could meet their financial obligations.
In November of 2023, REAL asked the City of Regina for more than $5.8 million for its operating budget to stay afloat, which was about five times more than the city was planning on providing.
REAL is also required to pay the federal government $8 million in wage subsidies semming from a 2020 pandemic relief program, which city council had agreed to pay for.
If the $4 million is approved, the money would come in the form of an operating grant from the General Fund Reserve and would be paid before the end of October of this year.
The funding would keep REAL within its maximum LOC limit until March 2025, then will require additional funding in April 2025.
New board of directors?
According to agenda notes, the process to recruit a new board of directors is underway and is expected to be approved at Wednesday’s city council meeting. The new board of directors would then recruit a permanent CEO.
The funding would allow for REAL to focus on onboarding the new team without worrying about cashflow, according to the organization.
Regina’s City Council meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc won't hold Liberals 'hostage' over seniors' benefits: cabinet minister
Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says the Liberals will not be 'held hostage' by the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand Old Age Security to more seniors.
Police identify Toronto victim of alleged serial killer
Toronto police have identified the woman who was allegedly killed by a suspected serial killer earlier this month.
Missing father, kids spotted in New Zealand wilderness 3 years after disappearance: police
A New Zealand man who disappeared with his three children in 2021 was spotted on a farm along the country's northwest coast, police say.
No jail time for man who fatally stabbed senior in Vancouver
A man who stabbed a senior to death in Vancouver's Biltmore Hotel building in 2020 has been given a conditional sentence for the killing, meaning he will not serve any jail time if he remains on good behaviour in the community.
Job growth numbers 'good news' in Canada but there are concerns, according to an economist
An economist says the latest job growth numbers in Canada are 'good news,' but he has concerns following Statistic Canada's report.
EXCLUSIVE: 'We were privileged to be friends with our sister': Family mourns murdered N.S. woman
More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to grapple with the loss.
Hot-air balloon strikes and collapses radio tower in Albuquerque during festival
A hot-air balloon struck and collapsed a radio tower Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the city's famous festival -- the second time in 20 years that a balloon has come into contact with the tower.
B.C. billionaire posts third large sign criticizing NDP ahead of the election
British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby's own riding.
Longueuil woman charged after 10-year-old boy scalded with boiling water
A woman from Montreal's South Shore appeared in court on Friday on charges of aggravated assault after allegedly scalding a 10-year-old boy with boiling water more than one week ago.