Jon Lorenc

City of Regina says property tax needs to go up 15.69 per cent next year to maintain current service levels | CBC News Acting city manager Jim Nicol emphasized that the estimated rate increase, which would correspond to an increase of $33 a month for the average Regina homeowner, was only a forecast. City council will...

Past Regina city councils have repeatedly kept the mill rate artificially low, according to acting city manager Jim Nicol.

That was politically advantageous but now the bill is coming due and council is weighing a 15.69 per cent
mill rate increase
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Regina city council moves to allow manufactured homes in all residential neighbourhoods | CBC News On Wednesday, Regina city council voted 8-3 to amend the city's bylaws to allow manufactured homes to be installed in neighbourhoods across the city. The measure has one final vote in December before ...

Federal Conservatives blame municipal "red tape" for housing soaring costs and the slow pace of development.

But it's usually the right-wing city councillors who maintain or create new obstacles to urban development. Let that sink in.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Then split it into property tax and municipal income tax. Not sure if the Cities Act allows that but it's a way better solution if that's the real concern.

This is the crux of why this conversation is so stupid. It's not as if anyone couldn't already buy a lot in the burbs and just build a smaller house on it. So what does it matter if it's built or pre-fab. Also pretty much all the new homes going up are catalogue designs anyways.

This pretty much sums up the problem. #yqrcc

The Growth Ponzi Scheme:

A city builds new infrastructure. That development brings in some quick revenue.

But the long-term cost of maintaining all that infrastructure is far greater than the revenue it generates. So when the bills come due, the city doesn’t have any money.

Call me crazy but "we're forced to take away your food because they won't let us take away your healthcare" doesn't seem like a winning strategy. That whole situation is so weird

I hope council is this eager to make freeloaders pay their share of tax burden when discussing a new property tax class for surface parking lot. #yqrcc

Food insecurity in Regina is getting really bad. The line for the food drop off in the church parking lot has already started at 8am. The truck doesn't come until noon.

Consider donating to the Regina Food Bank or other mutual aid groups this holiday season. These are our neighbors.

Beautifying the City: Panel Discussion RSVP Thank you for your interest in attending the panel. We would appreciate if you could take a moment to complete the following RSVP form for catering and communication purposes.

Saturday, November 8th: Coffee Chat with Rashovich and Froh. McDonalds South (4651 Albert) from 10-12pm

Saturday, November 15th: Beautify the City - Restorative Justice, Public Policy & the Inner Life (Research & Innovation Centre, U of R RI 119) from 9:30-12pm. RSVP Here:

Hey #YQR! There are a LOT of opportunities to be active in budget/urbanism issues coming up:

TOMORROW, October 29th - QCIB Anniversary Show at The Artesian from 7-9pm

Saturday, November 1st - Municipal Alternative Budget Organizing Meeting at Malty National (1130 15th Ave) at 4pm

Got a sneak peak of the new seating area for 33 & 1/3 / the new Easy Wine Bar. It's looking GREAT! So nice to have a new chill hang out spot in the neighbourhood.

All while keeping taxes in the bottom 25%. Just a document filled with contradictions and fantasy-level thinking

Never actually tried it myself. Does it work???

Anti-Inflammatory Aid Wellness Shot Recipe by Tasty Give your immune system a superhero boost with this anti-inflammatory wellness shot. Packed with orange, turmeric, and cayenne, it's the perfect way to kickstart your day and feel your best.

I used to have a co-worker that swore by these. I never bought into it but if you are experimenting .....
tasty.co/recipe/anti-...

People want to have kids and live downtown. Can they? - Western City Magazine For decades, planners focused on attracting young singles to dense urban cores. That dynamic has shifted, in part because ...

NEW: “Some still insist ‘downtowns will never attract kids and shouldn’t try.’ Then they design downtown to virtually repel kids, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Vancouver proves the opposite can be true...”

I’m quoted in this article by @johnlorinc.bsky.social for @calcities.bsky.social

CHIF housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/housing-loge...

Its hold alt, then 230 on the keypad. µ

Downtown from the air from a time when there were more surface parking lots than actual buildings in some downtowns.

Few things did more critical damage to North American downtowns than the demolishing of old buildings to build massive expanses of surface parking, along with the widening of roads to create huge one-way “car sewers,” all based on the failed theory that surrendering to cars would “save Downtown.”

If car prices included the cost of all the time city councils spend discussing parking, no one could afford a car. #yqrcc

He also seems wildly against spending money, but is aggravated that residential streets don't get plowed as often.

Listen to me very closely my guy : if we had less streets, this would be less of an issue. If we had greater property tax rates from densification, we could pay to plow everything!

Rule 99: Start Code Reform Now

Form-based codes helps walkability by focusing on how spaces look & feel, not just what they’re used for. Start w/a 1 page zoning overlay to guide better development while planning long-term reforms.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

Queen City Urbanist Book Club - "Imaging a better city - one book at a time" The first wednesday of every month 2900 13th Ave 7-9pm

New poster, new style 😎#YQR

Me giving a presentation years ago using a very early graphic that I first used while Vancouver chief planner.

For 2 decades or so, since before I became Vancouver’s chief planner, I’ve been championing and working on ways to effectively and successfully PRIORITIZE walking, biking and public transit over individual car use, stating that “balance” is too often code for the status quo only slightly better. 2/

Great short video by TransLink explaining “the empty bus lane myth”

How do you move 1000 people? One link train with four cars, 15 buses, or 625 cars requiring over 5 acres of parking at both start and destination.

What does it take to move 1000 people? Better infrastructure supporting mobility choices that don’t take up so much space (or produce so much emissions/pollution, cost so much public money, etc).

Graphic via Seattle Subway based on a Sydney graphic I spread around years ago.

Rule 94: Do a Walkability Study
A walkability study helps communities make areas safer and easier for walking and biking by focusing on 4 types of walks:

- the useful walk
- the safe walk
- the comfortable walk
- the interesting walk

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

Really pisses me off when Regina City Councilors like Rashovich say "I always see empty buses! They must not being used efficiently, therefore I can defund them."

If a bus is carrying 4 people, it looks empty. But that's 4 cars off the road. Now multiply that per hour. #YQR

Instagram post describing an event taking place at harbour village country

Land that had an obsolete, one-story printing press building was transformed into a mixed-use area; where the land was previously bringing in only $70,000 in property tax, it now brings in $700,000.