Some 11th Avenue Regina businesses say revitalization project is harming bottom lines

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Businesses connected 11th Avenue successful downtown Regina are saying the revitalization task connected the thoroughfare is driving distant customers, starring 1 longtime store to permission the country for good, portion different plans to bash the aforesaid adjacent year.

Mortise and Tenon, a household goods retailer, and Norwood, a covering store, are some relocating to the Cathedral neighborhood.

The owners accidental the determination is simply a effect of the 11th Avenue revitalization project, which has torn up the thoroughfare successful a multi-year effort to regenerate aging infrastructure and sidewalks. It is planned to beryllium completed successful 2027.

"My interest is that by the clip this is over, determination whitethorn not beryllium anyone near connected 11th to invited everybody backmost to the downtown," said Mortise and Tenon co-owner Dani Hackle.

The task is being completed successful phases, blocking disconnected 2 to 4 blocks astatine a time. Currently, the roadworthy is closed betwixt Albert and Lorne streets. The sidewalks connected some sides of the thoroughfare are inactive accessible, but the thoroughfare itself is blocked off, disrupting parking and nationalist transit.

The task coincides with respective large revitalization efforts taking spot astir the city. Dewdney Avenue, Saskatchewan Drive and Scarth Street besides person upgrades planned oregon underway.

Hackle moved her concern from a determination connected 11th Avenue to 13th Avenue successful the Cathedral country successful October 2024. Mortise and Tenon had been connected 11th Avenue since January 2016.

"What we were uncovering is that not lone were we losing our regular customers who were having a hard clip navigating the operation and the detours and each of that, but we besides weren't gaining immoderate caller customers downtown due to the fact that you conscionable couldn't get to our space," she said.

Concern for different businesses

Hackle said she appreciates the extremity of the revitalization task and is optimistic astir however 11th Avenue volition look erstwhile operation is finished, but is disquieted astir however galore businesses successful the country volition past until its completion.

"I don't spot however we would person been capable to marque it work," she said of her ain business's prospects had it stayed successful its erstwhile location. "Plus the imaginativeness of our concern and wherever we were headed wouldn't person been conducive downtown anymore."

Clothing store Norwood is currently operating a caller determination connected 13th Avenue, alongside its older determination downtown connected 11th Avenue, but volition afloat modulation into its 13th Avenue abstraction successful 2026.

Cornelia Biegler, who co-owns Norwood and Tiki Room, said Norwood's lease is up, and that the little ft postulation and higher transgression downtown is starring her to marque the move.

"We're not coming back. We person nary tendency to beryllium down there," she said.

"There's nary [Regina] Folk Festival this year, there's nary farmers' marketplace downtown anymore. There's nary crushed for anybody to travel downtown, which is truthful sad.

"But virtually there's thing going on. So present I'm connected 13th Avenue, and this is simply a vibrant community. Like, there's worldly going connected perpetually here."

Biegler said she has nary plans to determination Tiki Room, which sells skateboards and clothing.

Culture Grooming Lounge, which is conscionable down the thoroughfare from Norwood and Tiki Room, besides has nary plans to leave.

John Christie, the barbershop's manager, said Culture has mislaid a fewer clients with the construction, but he's mostly optimistic astir riding retired the disruptions.

"The fortunate portion astir america being a barber store is radical person an appointment, they're gonna come," helium said. "They're gonna beryllium late, and the bulk of our clients are late, but they inactive come."

"If we were a retailer, if we were a restaurant, radical would conscionable spell determination else."

How 1 concern is adapting

A edifice conscionable down the thoroughfare from Culture is The Cure Kitchen + Bar, which is co-owned by Kelly Cairns. She said the operation has been disruptive, but has recovered ways to header with anticipated little revenue. She does not person plans to move.

"We're inactive seeing a batch of our regulars, truthful we're doing OK. We are closing for a week successful July conscionable to assistance with cost, conscionable due to the fact that we usually person a slowdown successful July anyway," she said. "We've besides conscionable scaled backmost a small spot connected our events for this summertime arsenic good and to trim the size of our patio."

"We're benignant of taking an austerity attack oregon benignant of scaling down thing conscionable to chopped a fewer costs successful anticipation of income going down."

What the politician is saying

In a speech with the CBC's Morning Edition connected June 12, Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski said he's heard the concerns astir the construction, but encourages radical to retrieve the semipermanent benefits of the project, which should bring importantly much radical to the country compared to before.

"I perfectly admit that it tin beryllium frustrating to get around," helium said. "But erstwhile we're talking astir 11th Avenue successful particular, there's infrastructure underground determination that's being replaced that is from 1913.

"The vibrancy that that's going to bring erstwhile it's each said and done is highly exciting. So hopefully it is this abbreviated word symptom for an highly semipermanent affirmative gain."