Sask. NDP demands government apology after Regina has to provide $6.8M in incentives for new Costco

Alexander Quon · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 8:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP is demanding the provincial government apologize aft a Crown corp astir highjacked the operation of a caller Costco successful Regina and yet outgo the metropolis astir $7 million.

During a gathering of Regina metropolis assembly past week, it emerged that the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) had been successful talks with Costco astir building the retail giant's 2nd store astatine the GTH, westbound of Regina.

Mayor Chad Bachynski said Costco had antecedently reached a woody successful rule to physique the 2nd determination successful the city, adjacent the Westerra neighbourhood, but cancelled the woody successful favour of gathering astatine the GTH.

That forced metropolis assembly to hold to $6.78 cardinal successful incentives to lure the improvement backmost to its archetypal location.

The funds volition beryllium taken from Regina Land Development Reserve. The metropolis said it volition marque the wealth backmost done spot taxes wrong 7 years.

Few councillors were blessed with the deal, and the NDP echoed that sentiment on Monday. 

Jared Clarke, the NDP professional for municipal affairs, said the Global Transportation Hub has nary mandate for retail improvement and shouldn't beryllium competing with Regina's municipal government.

"Regina residents shouldn't person to beryllium connected the hook and trying to walk much wealth oregon person much of their taxation dollars utilized due to the fact that the state wants to vie with them," Clarke said Monday.

"We deliberation the the curate should person taken immoderate work for what has transpired and costing Regina taxpayers that $7 million."

Four times during question play connected Monday the Opposition asked David Marit, the curate successful complaint of the Global Transportation Hub, to apologize. He did not.

Marit did not instrumentality questions from media connected Monday.

GTH CEO Daniel Hersche defended the process connected Monday.

He said Costco approached the Crown's realty broker, Colliers, astir perchance builiding at the GTH. Hersche said the institution was interested because it could get more onshore astatine the installation for its retail store, and it was besides exploring the operation of a "last-mile" transportation and organisation hub that would work confederate Saskatchewan. 

"It wasn't conscionable an casual determination to make. It was thing that we decidedly did a batch of investigation connected to, to spot if it was the close acceptable for us," Hersche said.

The GTH has a "mandate to plan, develop, construct, operate, manage, and beforehand a dedicated proscription logistics park" successful Regina, according to its website.

Hersche said the Crown is not looking to alteration its mandate and that Costco has built retail stores successful concern parks successful different cities, truthful gathering astatine the GTH would not person been retired of the ordinary.

Hersche said it volition beryllium a "little bit disappointing" to not person the Costco at the GTH, but that helium is blessed to person the task moving forward. He did admit determination could beryllium country for betterment successful the future. 

"I deliberation we decidedly request to marque definite that we're communicating astatine each times and betwixt the metropolis and america and making definite projects aren't competing, due to the fact that again, we're we person nary intent to vie with the city. That's not what we're trying to to do," helium said.