Living in Regina

Regina is a small city with a big city feel; at least that’s one of the city’s numerous unofficial taglines. Basically there’s no shortage of things to do and people to meet on any day of the week. Unfortunately, the city gets a bad rap for being boring and un-exciting – this is mostly because events and things to do aren’t easy to find for newcomers and visitors. If you’re making the move to Regina (congratulations, by the way) don’t hold it up to incredibly high standards and you’ll have an amazing time. I’ve lived in Regina all my life, so I thought it best to write up this guide.

Misc / Things to Do/Links

·         The free biweekly newspaper the Prairie Dog Magazine is the best source of information on upcoming events including movies, music, theatre and other entertainment. Their website also lists events.

·         Regina has many excellent local restaurants to suit a variety of tastes, experiences and budgets. Many incorporate local meat and produce. There are also the standard chain restaurants and bars you’ll find across the country.

·         Links:

o   City of Regina

o   Tourism Regina

o   Regina Public Library

o   Globe Theatre

o   Regina Symphony Orchestra

o   Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange [SCES] (live music)

o   University of Regina

o   Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region

§  Physicians Accepting new Patients

§  Walk-in Clinics

o   Saskatchewan Government Insurance (vehicle registration, drivers’ licenses)

·         Lastly, as a long-time resident of Regina I’d be glad to help you out if you have any questions. Email me at lukasmiller@gmail.com anytime.

~Lukas, Fall/Winter Co-op

Getting Around Regina

A common issue in many Western Canadian cities is a lack of respect for public transit. Regina is no exception – the assumption is that if you’re living and working in the city, you own a car. If you’re bringing a car with you, getting around will be pretty simple, though rush-hour traffic in/out of downtown can be pretty bad. You’ll learn as you go. If you’re working in the winter here you’ll need a block heater for your engine.

 Biking isn’t too bad in the summer. You can try in the winter but you’ll have to deal with the snow and cold. There are nice bike paths around town for recreational biking. Avoid biking on: Albert Street, Broad Street, Victoria Avenue, Lewvan Drive, Pasqua Street, and Saskatchewan Drive; these are not bike-friendly roads.

Public transit: Regina’s bus system is slowly improving. The Regina Transit home page has a wonderful tool that will help you plan your entire bus trip from point A to point B; use the rest of the site to determine routes to take to/from work as well as info on bus passes. Side note: taxis are typically hired by phone – you’ll get awkward stares trying to hail a cab on the street.

~Lukas, Fall/Winter Co-op

Housing Advice for Regina

There are 3 commonly used resources to finding accommodation in Regina:

·         UsedRegina (http://www.usedregina.com)

·         Kijiji (http://regina.kijiji.com)

·          Leader Post (the local newspaper, online: http://classifieds.leaderpost.com/)

For some reason Craigslist never caught on here. Using the combined resources above you should hopefully be able to find a place. I say hopefully because for the past few years, the vacancy rate in Regina has been less than 1%; try to start finding a place earlier than later. Be prepared to give references. Also keep in mind that tenancy regulations in Saskatchewan are quiet different from Ontario – rules are much more stringent (i.e. no pets is almost a given). You’ll also have to pay a damage deposit. Rent can be anywhere from $800 to $1400 a month for a one bedroom.

Most areas of town are good, with the exception of the infamous “North Central” or “North of Dewdney” area. McLean’s Magazine reported it as Canada’s most dangerous neighborhood in 2007. It’s complicated and arguably not a big deal, but it’s probably best you avoid it as a newcomer to the city.

Public transit isn’t great (more on that later), so you may want to keep your commute/distance to work in mind in selecting a place to live.

~Lukas, Fall/Winter Co-op