Letters: GTH, province should reimburse Regina over Costco deal

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Not content with its existing scandals, the province’s Global Transportation Hub (GTH) took to outbidding the City of Regina as the location for a new Costco store that would be placed on the all-too-empty GTH site.

Sitting just outside of Regina city limits, but still benefitting from city services, the GTH offered Costco a land deal that would cost $6.78 million less than the agreed-upon cost of the nearby site within Regina city limits.

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Regardless of who contacted who first, the GTH never should have entertained such a proposal when it is not even zoned for retail use. A sale to the GTH would have denied Regina the considerable property taxes of such a development, while forcing the city to enhance and maintain the roadwork and services.

Backed into a corner, the City of Regina offered to cover the $6.78 million to retain the store within city limits so as to enhance the Westerra neighbourhood and collect tax revenue.

This must have seemed like a coup to Costco. Their executives in Seattle must be laughing themselves silly with the tale of playing one level of government in Saskatchewan against another and saving themselves $6.78 million.

Why on earth would the provincial government treat the capital city of the province in this way? It is only reasonable that the owner of the GTH, the province of Saskatchewan, reimburse Regina taxpayers for this costly gamesmanship. Premier Moe, you owe Regina for this one.

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Loanne Myrah, Regina

Money for Costco but not the homeless

According to a story in May 10 edition of the Leader-Post, Regina city council is willing to layout $6.78 million of our tax dollars for a second Costco store to be built in Regina. And yet council won’t devote any money to ending houselessness. How can this be?

In March, council declared a houselessness crisis — a crisis that has only deepened with the eviction of Glen Elm Trailer Park residents. Yes, Regina is spending $5.6 million to purchase and renovate the old Eagle’s Club and convert it into a 55-bed city-owned shelter.

However, this shelter will not increase the number of shelter beds available, as it is only a replacement for the 55-bed shelter that operated out of the Nest Health Centre until the lease expired this year.

More crucially, a shelter does nothing to end houselessness. It is merely a stop-gap measure. What we need is affordable rental housing units — that is, units that rent for less than 30 per cent of a household’s before-tax income.

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And so unhoused people will continue to suffer and die on our streets. According to figures for 2024, 824 people were unhoused in Regina — 118 of whom eventually died. We need social justice — not social murder! Please, Regina city council, at your next meeting allocate $6.78 million to ending houselessness.

Florence Stratton, Regina

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