With all recreation and community facilities closed in Regina due to COVID-19, city council is holding a special meeting next week in order to deal with a shortfall in revenue.
“We can’t be borrowing and have a deficit at the end of the year,” Mayor Michael Fougere said.
“We have some big decisions to make next week in how we deal with our operating and capital side and how we make sure we provide those services that are very important and deal with the budget gap, or deficit that we have.”
Fougere added one of the questions council will explore is whether or not to move capital money to the city’s operating budget.
“We need the flexibility as a council to ensure that we balance the budget, because under the city’s act we must balance our budget and that’s a work in progress.”
According to a news release, the special meeting will also include discussions about Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL).
During the city’s Wednesday update, Fougere said REAL has run out of its cash reserves and will be looking at ways to ensure it continues operating into the future.
Right now, Evraz Place is temporary closed with the majority of its events postponed or cancelled.
“REAL has no capacity to generate any revenue — they’ve been actually shut down completely. In fact, their purpose has now changed into a hospital for the province,” Fougere said.
“We are looking at our flexibility to allow REAL to have some financial capacity to continue operating in the future.”
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With city hall closed to the public, the meeting on April 15 at 11 a.m. will be streamed live on Regina.ca.
Those wanting to address council must provide a written submission by 9 a.m. on April 15.
Details on what should be included can be found on Regina.ca or by calling the office of the city clerk at 306-777-7262.
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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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