Dewdney Avenue businesses say they're struggling during long-term construction project

Alex Kozroski · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 6:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 37 minutes ago

The City of Regina's revitalization task for the Dewdney Avenue corridor is present good into its 2nd signifier of construction, but the completion day inactive feels very distant for immoderate businesses who accidental they're struggling on the strip.

With some lanes of postulation closed connected the conception of Dewdney betwixt Albert Street and Broad Street, determination is nary roadworthy entree to storefronts for galore businesses.

Kurtis Dmuchowski, the proprietor of The Break Pool Hall, opened his Dewdney Avenue concern successful August 2024, successful the midst of the avenue's archetypal afloat thoroughfare closure.

"It was a truly pugnacious start, and fortunately they … stopped for the winter, truthful we got a spot of a foothold then," said Dmuchowski.

"[But] present we are again with the thoroughfare wholly closed, which has present forced america to adjacent a mates of days a week conscionable due to the fact that radical cannot entree our property, and they person obscurity to park."

According to the city's website, the outgo for the Dewdney Avenue corridor revitalization task is $32 million, funded done a tri-level statement betwixt the municipal, provincial and national governments.

It's portion of the broader $67.5-million Regina revitalization initiative, which besides includes the Yards neighbourhood revitalization plan — focused connected the wedge-shaped chunk of property between downtown and the Warehouse district.

The existent signifier of the Dewdney task started connected April 7, and volition instrumentality astir 2 to 3 months, according to the site.

Now, successful mid-June, the avenue is inactive lined with instrumentality and trenches astir 10 metres deep.

The Break proprietor Dmuchowski said the city besides informed him that astir of the parking his customers would person antecedently used, successful the railyard area, was really illegal.

"I recognize arsenic of yesterday everything is going to beryllium eliminated. And to adhd insult to injury, each of the parking successful beforehand of my gathering from Lorne to Cornwall, aft 8 p.m., it's a tow-away zone, and it's taxis only," helium said.

"We're trying to found a clientele, and if the streets are blocked, radical can't spot my signage and can't navigate the street, it's beauteous hard."

Work needed, says Warehouse BID

Lance Donison, the enforcement manager of the Regina Warehouse Business Improvement District — which acts arsenic a liaison betwixt the businesses and the city — says the enactment is needed.

"Not lone is [the revitalization project] indispensable for the existing businesses successful the warehouse district, but they're putting successful each the infrastructure to guarantee that they're capable to proviso the Yards with the infrastructure it needs for its upcoming development," said Donison.

But helium besides said the Regina Warehouse BID "will bash everything they can" to advocator on behalf of the area's businesses, "to marque definite that these businesses enactment viable and are successful."

"Hopefully they tin past agelong capable to spot the worth summation successful their businesses and the property, particularly erstwhile Dewdney is completed, but besides with the improvement of the Yards successful the future," said Donison.

The extensive enactment volition regenerate underground infrastructure that the metropolis says is past its beingness expectancy. Water, sewage, and tempest drain systems volition beryllium upgraded, but much disposable changes to the historical country are coming arsenic well.

A caller road, sidewalks, lighting, patio abstraction and landscaping are projected to beryllium successful spot earlier 2026, according to the city.

But Mark Heise, president and CEO of Rebellion Brewing connected Dewdney Avenue, is asking the metropolis for much enactment during the operation work.

"The biggest situation is conscionable getting radical there, and we've tried to enactment retired the message.… We've had radical that person travel from retired of municipality that person turned astir and gone home, which frankly breaks my heart," said Heise.

"They threw 7 cardinal bucks to Costco, and we didn't get nothing … but truly atrocious h2o and nary roadworthy access. So not definite however that's fair," helium said, successful notation to city council's determination to supply Costco with a $6.78-million inducement to physique a 2nd section determination successful the city's Westerra area.

"I deliberation the decorativeness enactment is somewhat disposable close present for america astatine least. So we are precise excited," Heise said.

"I bash judge it'll beryllium worthy it successful the end, but it's beauteous pugnacious going. And similar I say, determination is perfectly zero enactment from the city."

Asked to address concerns surrounding concern access, h2o shutoffs and parking problems, the City of Regina provided a connection saying it understands the impacts the operation has connected section businesses.

"We person provided galore consultation and engagement opportunities related to the Dewdney Avenue Revitalization implicit the past decade, starting with the conceptual plan signifier successful 2014," the connection said.

It pointed to accusation sessions held implicit the past 2 years, and meetings with landowners successful February 2025 to get feedback connected past year's operation and supply an update connected this year's.

The metropolis said it volition proceed to consult with the BID and spot owners arsenic the task continues.