City Square Plaza to be re-named Pat Fiacco Plaza

Regina will see plenty of activities for the Labour Day long weekend. (File photo / CTV Regina)

Regina — City Square Plaza in Regina will soon become Pat Fiacco Plaza.

City Council voted 10-1 Wednesday night to re-name the downtown gathering space.

Many city councillors said Fiacco, the former mayor, was pivotal in changing the image of Regina.

They said the ‘I Love Regina’ campaign, which he spearheaded, helped change attitudes and drew in business.

Despite the name change going forward, some residents raised concerns about re-naming the downtown city square.

Some said it dampens reconciliation with Indigenous people, given there have been calls to re-name Dewdney Avenue and to remove the Sir John A. Macdonald statue.

They noted other streets and parks in the city must go through a lengthy process to be re-named.

However, others said Fiacco had taken reconciliation seriously and worked to build relationships with Indigenous people.

They said he was the first mayor in a Canadian city to raise a Treaty flag. Fiacco raised the Treaty 4 flag during his time as mayor.

Some councillors said it was bad timing to re-name the plaza.

Some wanted to move the renaming to a different date. Ultimately, however, the majority thought it was best to re-name the square now.

The plaza cost nearly double the estimated price. It cost $13 million, which is $6 million over the original $7 million estimate.

Poor management and wet weather caused construction delays.

HERE IS HOW COUNCIL VOTED

For:

Against: