Paul Dechene
@pauldechene.bsky.social
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.
Yeah… they were cut in that really nasty year when Regina had to do two budgets b/c of all the surprise cuts Wall dropped on our head. I think that was 2017? #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Yeah… they were cut in that really nasty year when Regina had to do two budgets b/c of all the surprise cuts Wall dropped on our head. I think that was 2017? #yqrcc
Anyway, I expect this motion will pass with ease tomorrow.
I also expect this motion will accomplish basically nothing other than get a headline or two for council in the wake of passing a very nasty mill rate increase. "Look! We're finding new revenue sources!" /end #yqrcc
I also expect this motion will accomplish basically nothing other than get a headline or two for council in the wake of passing a very nasty mill rate increase. "Look! We're finding new revenue sources!"
January 21, 2026 at 6:48 PM
Anyway, I expect this motion will pass with ease tomorrow.
I also expect this motion will accomplish basically nothing other than get a headline or two for council in the wake of passing a very nasty mill rate increase. "Look! We're finding new revenue sources!" /end #yqrcc
I also expect this motion will accomplish basically nothing other than get a headline or two for council in the wake of passing a very nasty mill rate increase. "Look! We're finding new revenue sources!"
For example, we get gas tax money — that's money you pay when buying gas — and we use that build road infrastructure. But then we have to pay PST to the province on construction work. And that's a cost we have to offset by charging higher property tax rates. /11 #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:46 PM
For example, we get gas tax money — that's money you pay when buying gas — and we use that build road infrastructure. But then we have to pay PST to the province on construction work. And that's a cost we have to offset by charging higher property tax rates. /11 #yqrcc
Funny thing though is that Moe's government is supposed to be all fiscally conservative and pushing for low taxes — gotta cut those corpo tax rates! — but the pst on municipal construction is effectively DOUBLE TAXATION on Saskatchewan residents. /10 #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Funny thing though is that Moe's government is supposed to be all fiscally conservative and pushing for low taxes — gotta cut those corpo tax rates! — but the pst on municipal construction is effectively DOUBLE TAXATION on Saskatchewan residents. /10 #yqrcc
Similarly, I doubt very much the province will exempt municipalities from the construction PST. It's so much easier to just keep sucking up revenue from wherever they can. /9 #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Similarly, I doubt very much the province will exempt municipalities from the construction PST. It's so much easier to just keep sucking up revenue from wherever they can. /9 #yqrcc
Do I think Moe is going to bring back the grants program? No. I'm guessing this will be ignored. Or he'll find some way to expand transfers to all communities if we shut up about the grants-in-lieu & we'll just have to eat the fact that the province is finding another way to rip us off. #yqrcc /8
January 21, 2026 at 6:41 PM
Do I think Moe is going to bring back the grants program? No. I'm guessing this will be ignored. Or he'll find some way to expand transfers to all communities if we shut up about the grants-in-lieu & we'll just have to eat the fact that the province is finding another way to rip us off. #yqrcc /8
At the time, grants-in-lieu were supposed to be "reviewed" & come back in a form that's fair to "all Sask communities" — ignoring the fact that what he was really doing is just not paying a fucking bill so he could have access to a greater chunk of provincial tax dollars for his own shit. /7 #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:39 PM
At the time, grants-in-lieu were supposed to be "reviewed" & come back in a form that's fair to "all Sask communities" — ignoring the fact that what he was really doing is just not paying a fucking bill so he could have access to a greater chunk of provincial tax dollars for his own shit. /7 #yqrcc
But Wall had a tough budget one year (b/c he'd squandered all of Sask's resource revenue reserves) and thus he decided to play the Rural Vs Urban Card so that he could poach our money. /6 #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:39 PM
But Wall had a tough budget one year (b/c he'd squandered all of Sask's resource revenue reserves) and thus he decided to play the Rural Vs Urban Card so that he could poach our money. /6 #yqrcc
"had has"???
what the hell are you trying to type, fingers?
what the hell are you trying to type, fingers?
January 21, 2026 at 6:37 PM
"had has"???
what the hell are you trying to type, fingers?
what the hell are you trying to type, fingers?
All these years, we could've been building up our own energy network, exploring renewable capacity, generating our own revenue, but the province took all that away. Those grants are there to offset that lost revenue. /5 #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:33 PM
All these years, we could've been building up our own energy network, exploring renewable capacity, generating our own revenue, but the province took all that away. Those grants are there to offset that lost revenue. /5 #yqrcc
Those grants-in-lieu weren't given to Regina on a whim. We used to have our own local electrical & energy network. But when the province decided all of that would be run by a crown monopoly, they BOUGHT our networks. Those grants are the purchase price THEY OWE US. /4 #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Those grants-in-lieu weren't given to Regina on a whim. We used to have our own local electrical & energy network. But when the province decided all of that would be run by a crown monopoly, they BOUGHT our networks. Those grants are the purchase price THEY OWE US. /4 #yqrcc
So Brad Wall cut them back then b/c he claimed it was unfair that only some municipalities — like Regina — got them while other, predominantly rural, centres did not. It proved Wall was willing to throw facts out the window to further cater to his rural supporters. /3 #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:27 PM
So Brad Wall cut them back then b/c he claimed it was unfair that only some municipalities — like Regina — got them while other, predominantly rural, centres did not. It proved Wall was willing to throw facts out the window to further cater to his rural supporters. /3 #yqrcc
A note about item 3 on electrical & gas grants-in-lieu… I think the prov cut these back in ~2017? I had has lost track of whether or not they brought them back in some form as promised. I guess this is my answer. /2 #yqrcc
January 21, 2026 at 6:25 PM
A note about item 3 on electrical & gas grants-in-lieu… I think the prov cut these back in ~2017? I had has lost track of whether or not they brought them back in some form as promised. I guess this is my answer. /2 #yqrcc
Again… apologies I was so flippant with you earlier.
I guess I'm kind of a raw nerve thanks to world events.
Have a good day. /end rant
I guess I'm kind of a raw nerve thanks to world events.
Have a good day. /end rant
January 21, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Again… apologies I was so flippant with you earlier.
I guess I'm kind of a raw nerve thanks to world events.
Have a good day. /end rant
I guess I'm kind of a raw nerve thanks to world events.
Have a good day. /end rant
It seriously looks like what he's doing is an extension of his podcasting/social media campaign & he's flexing on camera for the benefit of the manosphere fandom he's been picking up after all his Ben Shapiro interviews. It seems like grandstanding. Not governing/politics. /3
January 21, 2026 at 5:30 PM
It seriously looks like what he's doing is an extension of his podcasting/social media campaign & he's flexing on camera for the benefit of the manosphere fandom he's been picking up after all his Ben Shapiro interviews. It seems like grandstanding. Not governing/politics. /3
It's not inconceivable that he'll follow Trump as president so I don't know what he is hoping to accomplish w/ this trip to Davos beyond pre-antagonizing a bunch of world leaders he'll need as allies if he takes over what will be a significantly weakened America. /2
January 21, 2026 at 5:29 PM
It's not inconceivable that he'll follow Trump as president so I don't know what he is hoping to accomplish w/ this trip to Davos beyond pre-antagonizing a bunch of world leaders he'll need as allies if he takes over what will be a significantly weakened America. /2
Hey… sorry… I was going to respond w/ another quip but we're clearly on the same side. To clarify: my issue w/ Newsom is he & his party have actual leverage at home that European leaders don't — and yet? They've done almost nothing to resist Trump beyond press releases & spicy social media posts. /1
January 21, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Hey… sorry… I was going to respond w/ another quip but we're clearly on the same side. To clarify: my issue w/ Newsom is he & his party have actual leverage at home that European leaders don't — and yet? They've done almost nothing to resist Trump beyond press releases & spicy social media posts. /1
Things are bad if "calling it fascism" is the only bar you have to clear to be counted as "doing something."
January 21, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Things are bad if "calling it fascism" is the only bar you have to clear to be counted as "doing something."
It's so true. He's been podcasting SO HARD these days.
January 21, 2026 at 3:00 PM
It's so true. He's been podcasting SO HARD these days.