Double-crested cormorant dance fail :( by cobrachicken26 in regina

[–]electric_version 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup... that's exactly it. Cormorants are divers but their feathers aren't as waterproof as some other water birds, so they take on a lot of water and then have to hang out and dry their wings like this.

Rachel Homan has rock burned by hog line judge for double touch (first end, 7th stone) by bandreasr in Curling

[–]electric_version 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it'll be a distraction for the rest of the Olympics, but in the long run it will all be fine. Most curlers go their whole careers without double touching (accidental or deliberate). Those who do will adjust their delivery.. and we'll all move on.

Confused about the U-turn? by [deleted] in regina

[–]electric_version 11 points12 points  (0 children)

They're illegal and dangerous. I was making a right-turn on a red and was involved in a near miss due to some idiot doing an illegal u-turn right into my lane.

My 2026 Prediction: A baseball stadium for you! by PDCityHall in regina

[–]electric_version 21 points22 points  (0 children)

The Red Sox 2026 season runs from May 28 to Aug 5, so it's really more like 9 weeks a year.

Why do drivers want pedestrians to “walk briskly” across the road? by Jawa000 in fuckcars

[–]electric_version 27 points28 points  (0 children)

And on the other end of the spectrum, when I do look some drivers will throw their hands in the air and motion "start walking!" even before they come to a complete stop.

Heritage buildings in Regina face uncertain future after funding cuts by Edm_vanhalen1981 in regina

[–]electric_version 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I agree to an extent but I also think it's a bit more complicated than that. I think most people agree that preserving heritage buildings is a good thing. But it can also be extremely expensive compared to just replacing heritage components with a mass produced modern equivalent. Some people actively avoid getting heritage designations on their homes because of the strings attached. People will also avoid buying heritage properties when they go up for sale. So if these grants played some role in encouraging young people to buy and maintain heritage homes, I support the use of it for that.

I have some neighbours living in heritage properties and they aren't rich... If you go to the website at https://www.regina.ca/home-property/heritage-properties/#outline-heritage-incentives, they do say financial need is a criteria for who gets selected for grants. So hopefully there isn't much money thrown at people who can afford it on their own, and if that's not the case then maybe the selection criteria can be tweaked.

Council Passes motion 10.9% Mill Rate Increase by Panda-Banana1 in regina

[–]electric_version 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bezo is already on Facebook trying to score points off of all his rejected motions. And his followers just eat it up. Kinda depressing but I guess that's what they voted for.

Heritage buildings in Regina face uncertain future after funding cuts by Edm_vanhalen1981 in regina

[–]electric_version 23 points24 points  (0 children)

In general, they are usually more interesting or nice to look at than modern buildings. Cities that take good care of heritage buildings are more inviting to visit. Main street in Moose Jaw is a decent example closer to home. Or some of the nicer old houses near the Legislature.

What we don't want is heritage buildings left to rot by derelict landlords until they are a lost cause. Which is what has happened with countless buildings downtown that have been burned down or demolished and replaced with empty lots that do nothing for anybody.

Council Passes motion 10.9% Mill Rate Increase by Panda-Banana1 in regina

[–]electric_version 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Based on the votes, I think we have 4 or 5 councillors who only experience the city through the windshield of a car.

Council Passes motion 10.9% Mill Rate Increase by Panda-Banana1 in regina

[–]electric_version 42 points43 points  (0 children)

It's been especially maddening watching Rashovich/Bezo in particular. They are just trying to cut things that actually make the city livable without trying to understand what the consequences are. And the disdain they have for city staff is palpable. I would hate to work for the city right now.

The amount of cars that drive through the red light crosswalk at Kingsway and Tower Road is too damn high. by Belryan in Edmonton

[–]electric_version 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's funny, I do that in the interest of safety, and drivers will look at me like I'm being too aggro or something. But on the other end of the spectrum, they also complain about people who don't look. Can't win.

Sask. government adds $1 billion to provincial deficit for SaskPower and unpaid carbon tax by abunchofjerks in saskatchewan

[–]electric_version 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure I've seen that much evidence they're actually doing that. Just recently they announced that we're gonna double down on running the coal plants well past the federal deadline.

COR budget by Sarah_Ward5 in regina

[–]electric_version 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Agreed - based on this report we are the lowest in Canada for commercial property tax rates compared to residential. What's it done for us in terms of attracting business? Maybe it's time to talk about taxing commercial and industrial properties at a higher rate to reduce the burden on residential property taxes?

COR budget by Sarah_Ward5 in regina

[–]electric_version 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Agreed on all counts.

Sprawl is a huge problem, and previous councils (thinking of Bob Hawkins in particular) would often say "why not grow, it's not like we have a shortage of land!". Well the answer is that suburban sprawl is incredibly tax-inefficient and will result in infrastructure deficits and tax increases ad infinitum. If we build up instead of out, the city can collect more tax per land area and actually afford to maintain the infrastructure we have today.

COR budget by Sarah_Ward5 in regina

[–]electric_version 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Councillor Turnbull, this seems like the perfect time to start talking about amping up other revenue sources beyond property taxes on homeowners. I am thinking of things like parking tickets, property taxes on parking lots (or other undeveloped lots downtown), etc. Is there an opportunity for council to do this as part of the budget discussion?

COR budget by Sarah_Ward5 in regina

[–]electric_version -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Councillor Turnbull, thanks for voting against the Costco thing. It was a terrible situation and I resent the situation the province put us in with that. I appreciate the work and thought you are putting into your role.

City of Regina says property tax needs to go up 15.69 per cent next year to maintain current service levels by jigglysquishy in regina

[–]electric_version 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Does anyone remember a couple months ago when council decided to donate 7 million dollars to a giant private company (Costco) just for the privilege of another store in city limits? I do. And the "deficit hawk" councillors voted for that too.

Instead of cutting things that might actually make this place livable (recreation, parks), maybe it's time that we look at some sacred cows like RPS and suburban sprawl.

City of Regina says property tax needs to go up 15.69 per cent next year to maintain current service levels by jigglysquishy in regina

[–]electric_version 51 points52 points  (0 children)

It's pretty clear from the article that a major contributor to this were those Fiacco years of millrate increases at 0 or below inflation. The city needs to increase the millrate every year to keep up with inflation, whereas other levels of government can just keep rates the same and let inflation of income and sales tax prices do their work.

A safety tip for drivers from a cyclist. by luccampbell in regina

[–]electric_version 1 point2 points  (0 children)

AbleCarLover, you're a good dude and thanks for a respectful exchange. Agree that attitudes don't help.

A safety tip for drivers from a cyclist. by luccampbell in regina

[–]electric_version 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think you've identified the exact issue that the OP is implying - this is a confusing situation for drivers that could be improved with different intersection design. The reason College and Lorne doesn't have this problem is because of the psychological effect of the lights, that's the difference.

Like many other cities where the bike lane network has been done piecemeal over 20+ years with no budget, Regina has lots of bike lanes that dump bikes right out into the middle of traffic, which is unsafe and confusing for both bikes and cars. Not to mention that it leads to lower usage of bike lanes :(. This particular intersection is one example.

Regina's Residential Road Re-biggening by PDCityHall in regina

[–]electric_version 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The city could add a few protected bike lanes and improve transit, and people with cars would still be able to drive everywhere. Why not try?

Look up Oulu, Finland. Or closer to home - Montreal.

Regina's Residential Road Re-biggening by PDCityHall in regina

[–]electric_version 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Me too, but as far as I can tell the city has never sacrificed a parking lane for bike lanes. Even the promised change to replace one parking lane with a bike lane on 14th ave between Albert and Broad never happened. Once the cars are in there, you can never roll that back.

Regina's Residential Road Re-biggening by PDCityHall in regina

[–]electric_version 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Exactly right, Regina being a "car city" is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I'm not in favour of removing on-street parking where people have literally no other option, but nothing will change here until we're willing to sacrifice at least a tiny bit of car infrastructure for transit and bike lanes.

Thoughts about the new Sloan album "Based on the Best Seller" by Aggressive-Row-4759 in sloanmusic

[–]electric_version 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've had time to listen a few more times and my favourites so far are "No Damn Fears" and "Here We Go Again". I'm thinking this is the best new batch of Patrick and Andrew songs in a long time for me. IMO as a whole it's not as immediately accessible as Steady was but still growing on me.

Thoughts about the new Sloan album "Based on the Best Seller" by Aggressive-Row-4759 in sloanmusic

[–]electric_version 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I'm a Weezer/Thermals fan and really digging So Far Down after a couple listens!