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Paul Dechene

@pauldechene.bsky.social

3.4K followers 660 following 5.3K posts

Writing about city council in Regina, Saskatchewan. Co-host of the Queen City Improvement Bureau on 91.3FM CJTR - www.queencityib.com. Columns in Prairie Dog Magazine. There will be swearing. Proceed at your own risk.

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 14d

Meet Harwinder & Jason & go with us on a parking enforcement adventure! New Queen City Improvement Bureau podcast, now on youtube. youtu.be/KLd99hTpUTw #yqrcc

QCIB Sep 25 2025 - Queen City Parking Cops

YouTube video by PD City Hall — Paul Dechene

youtu.be

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 11h

I have that OMAC in the house somewhere.

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 20h

Hey jagoff in the red truck! I wasn't turning left b/c THERE WERE PEDESTRIANS IN THE CROSSWALK! I know you would've gotten to your destination 15 seconds faster if I'd MURDERED THEM. But I didn't want to do that.

Asshole. #yqr

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 23h

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 23h

I'd love to hear any evidence you got.
Actually, haven't seen you ages. We should do coffee (once I can talk again) (should be next week sometime at current rate of improvement). #yqrcc

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 23h

But, of course, that isn't happening.
Admin puts out these projections all the time. They're pictures of a POSSIBLE future. Nothing is fixed. Nowhere is admin saying there's a crisis coming. They're just like, "We might want to keep an eye on this." But Bezo is, BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES!! /3 #yqrcc

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 23h

Admin put out their 5 year projection on where the reserves COULD be, IF council keeps doing things EXACTLY the same as they have been for the last couple years.

Bezo looks at this & acts like the worst-case-scenario 5-year-out projection is ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!! IMMINENTLY!!! THE HORROR!!! /2 #yqrcc

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 23h

We didn't do a show last night & this morning I'm jonesing to do all the ranting I'd saved up for the QCIB. I'm struggling how best to present it all but I'll say this to start…

Fucking… Clr Bezo, man. He makes it sound like the sky is falling on the city reserves but it's just not. /1 #yqrcc

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 23h

So, no, Clr Bezo. Reserves are not just savings accounts for major projects. Some are something like that. Many function very differently.

As with most things, reserves are more complicated than you make them out to be. #yqrcc

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

Youtube actually provides a transcript. But it's pretty difficult to work with. Can't download it. And searching it is a pain.

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

Then there's the General Fund Reserve which is supposed to be like the city's emergency piggy bank that you only crack into in the event of something unexpected coming up. That can include disasters or a surprise federal program that needs matching funds outside the budget cycle. /3 #yqrcc

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

There are 9 operating reserves that fund *ongoing operations* — not major projects — like the winter maintenance reserve, which we use to cover snow clearing. Then there's the land development reserve which is more complicated & operates kinda like a development corp. Sorta. #yqrcc /2

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

Seeing as Bezo is being an insufferable blowhard here, I'll raise him by being an insufferable pedant… Actually, it's not entirely true that reserves are savings accounts for major projects. We have 24 reserves. Only 5 are capital. Then you have your utility reserve & solid waste reserve /1 #yqrcc

PD City Hall (Paul Dechene) @pdcityhall.bsky.social · 2d

Bezo: We had a discussion about the Reserve Report at Finance & Audit Cmte. I'll give some high level Coles Notes about the report. A reserve fund is used as a saving account to pay for major projects…

[Seriously? We're doing remedial definitions?] #yqrcc

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

OK. I'm now in national observer's AI council transcription thing & I'm less concerned that this'll put me out of work right away. Also, I'm enjoying the various spellings of Tskilis it's coming up with.

And… would it be too much to ask for it to at least spell "councillor" correctly? #yqrcc

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

I have to admit I'm curious to see what a verbatim transcription of one of Clr Rashovich's speeches looks like. "Oh… uh… I didn't know that. This is hard. But we have difficult choices to make, whether it's nickles or a million dollars." I wonder if the AI will catch all his off-mic mumbling?

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

I guess you can access what I do for free without jumping through a sign up hoop. So there's that.

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

I knew someone would use AI to make what I do at Regina city council irrelevant … or at least redundant. Didn't think it'd be @nationalobserver.com

Well… riddle me this National Observer AI… can you SWEAR?

Canada’s National Observer unveils a powerful tool for fighting disinformation

Civic Searchlight brings together municipal meeting transcripts from across Canada into a searchable database for the first time. It has already been used to fight disinformation, report on impact, di...

www.nationalobserver.com

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Reposted by Paul Dechene

Kero @keroan.bsky.social · 1d

They have a copy of the 1920's city plan on display outside the performance! I need someone to take a photo since I can't make it 😂

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

Hey folks… if you're going to The Master Plan at the Globe tomorrow — or even if you're not — there's a pre-show chat put on by Bike Regina! The chat is free to attend.

Globe Theatre

Join Bike Regina President and Transportation Planning Engineer, Ellen McLaughlin and Regina’s Transportation Master Plan Coordinator, Ian Cantello for a Pre-Show Chat! Friday Night at 6:30 pm. You...

www.facebook.com

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

If this had happened yesterday, could've pulled it off. #yqrcc

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

Well this is frustrating… Now Aidan is sick. (Not my fault. We haven't been in the same room in a couple weeks.) So with me barely able to talk & Aidan a sickly mess, we are going to have to not do the QCIB again.
And I had AWESOME stuff prepared. I'm pretty annoyed. #yqrcc

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

We did this once before. It was 2017 and we got then-CFO Ian Rea to explain the city budget. A lot has changed since then. Hopefully Anderson can explain mill rates to me and it'll stick this time. #yqrcc

queencityib.com/podcasts/201...

Jan 19 2017 Hooked On P3s — Queen City Improvement Bureau

Special report from Leasa Gibbon of the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District on the city's second annual Restaurant Week . Plus, a discussion with the Queen City's chief financial offi...

queencityib.com

Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

Figure we need to ask an expert all our questions about the city budget so we requested an interview with city comms & just got word this morning that Regina's CFO Daren Anderson will be our guest on the Queen City Improvement Bureau on November 6. #yqrcc

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

Look, I know this was a very normal moment. A shot like this was bound to happen. It's just what happens when you film meetings for so many hours. But I was pretty punchy by this point in the meeting & this made me laugh & laugh…
bsky.app/profile/pdci... #yqrcc

PD City Hall (Paul Dechene) @pdcityhall.bsky.social · 2d

This just aired on Access… #yqrcc

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Paul Dechene @pauldechene.bsky.social · 1d

I'm pretty fed up with my laryngitis & am determined to do a Queen City Improvement Bureau this evening. Tune in at 7pm on CJTR & listen as I croak my way through all the council news. Also, Aidan will be talking — like w/ a human voice — about Masterplan at the Globe! #yqrcc accessnowradio.ca/live

Listen Live Player | AccessNow Radio 91.3FM

accessnowradio.ca

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Reposted by Paul Dechene

The Oatmeal @theoatmeal.bsky.social · 3d

Let’s talk about AI art.

theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art

A cartoonist's review of AI art - The Oatmeal

This is a comic about AI art.

theoatmeal.com

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