The City of Regina is looking at upgrading its playgrounds to be more accessible.
Back in March, council passed a motion created by Ward 5 Coun. Sarah Turnbull to direct administration to prioritize the planned playground upgrades for 2026.
On Wednesday, administration recommended two destination playgrounds located at Kinsmen Park South and the Indoor Aquatic Facility as part of a $600,000 annual allocation by the city to upgrade playgrounds.
Additionally, the city could also upgrade up to three neighbourhood playgrounds to accessibility standards if $1 million is included from the 2026/2027 budget for additional playground refurbishment.
Part of that $1 million ($400,000) would also go towards grants to support community-led playground accessibility initiatives.
As it stands, the city currently has 152 neighbourhood playgrounds, with six currently considered accessible, and two in development/under construction. That is a five per cent rate of city parks which are accessible.
“There are 20 to 30 per cent of our population who have disabilities, so even simple math, you should have 20 to 30 per cent of your.. playgrounds accessible,” said Turnbull.
When referencing a map of all city-owned parks in Regina, Turnbull said, “There’re complete zones in this city that do not have an accessible playground.”
The executive committee unanimously voted to move the report to next week’s council meeting.
If approved next week, administration would report back to council in January 2026 on which playgrounds would be upgraded if additional funding is received.
The city would also work on a Playground Upgrade Prioritization Framework, which includes guiding principles, evaluation criteria and long-term planning.
Comments