REGINA – Regina, early 1900’s. A booming city.
“The population pressures drove a lot of the city’s complaints,” said Dana Turgeon, who oversees the City of Regina Archives. “The same concerns you’d see right now.”
From a housing pinch to aging infrastructure serving a growing community, a red-hot economy has had some negative consequences.
But a century-old report has resurfaced showing today’s problems are much the same as they were then.
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From 1906 to 1911, Regina’s population jumped by over 20,000 people.
Back then, there was a complaint book, where the city clerk noted residents’ issues that included animal waste in the streets, and infrequent cleaning of outhouses.
Regina didn’t have a sewer system at that some, and someone was paid to come empty what was often called a “Water closet”.
Many of the complaints were also about potholes, showing the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Talking to Regina residents in 2013, street cleanliness is also a struggle, no matter how much forethought there has been.
Turgeon says we have learned many lessons since then, however.
“We have a lot better planning that enables us to anticipate construction booms, and budget for that,” she said.
As Regina booms today, we may be teaching more lessons to be learned another 100 years down the road.
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