Regina resident frustrated with delays in sidewalk repair caused by project backlog
A Regina resident is expressing frustrations about a city repair project on his property that has been ongoing for the past year.
Paul Kleckner said the City of Regina updated the fire hydrant on his front lawn more than a year ago, leaving behind a torn up sidewalk, front yard and road.
He said he called to inquire about the status of this project plenty of times over the course of the year.
“They didn’t have the budget, they don’t have the man power, I phoned different departments and the line I hated the most was— I hate hearing this line— is, ‘there’s nothing we can do,’” he said.
On Saturday, concrete was finally poured on the side walk, but sodding of his lawn and filling in the road is still incomplete.
Kleckner said it only took a few hours for this work to be done, and wonders why a few hours work took over a year to complete.
Colin Midgley, manager of roadways and maintenance operations with the City of Regina, said there is a backlog given the environmental implications the province sees, and that they try to mitigate the priority problems first.
Midgley added that city council approved a budget of more than $10 million in the next two years for a safe sidewalk initiative.
“Our goal is to make sure that the city is accessible, inclusive and safe for everybody. With that additional money that was provided by council, specifically for safe sidewalks, we’ve been able to do additional work this season,” he said.
However, for someone like Kleckner, who has to use a scooter to get around due to a fall this past winter, it isn’t as easy as just going onto the road.
“Not just me but all my neighbours and whoever, there’s elderly people, there’s kids that go to school, right now I’ve got security cameras and people are using my lawn as their walkway,” he said.
Kleckner said that his property taxes rose by $200 this past year, but he does not see his dollars going to work.
The city says with the new budget, about 50 per cent of this year’s projects have been completed, and they are optimistic that they will get out of the backlog by the end of next summer.
“We just really understand that there’s frustration from the residents and we’re doing our best to work through those back logs so we can get back to a better service level,” said Midgley.
Midgley added that they expect the project at Kleckner’s corner of Sherwood Drive and Hayes Crescent would be completed by the end of this year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Ontario reveals highest public sector salaries in 2023 sunshine list
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.