REGINA — The City of Regina is opening the curtain on its operations with the launch of a new online Service Dashboard, a tool designed to give residents a clearer, more transparent look at how city services are performing.
Available now through Regina.ca, the dashboard brings together key performance data. Ranging from building permits and transit reliability to waste collection and parks maintenance into one centralized, easy-to-understand platform.
“It’s not that we haven’t shared information before… but this is really the first time where we’ve tried to aggregate it into one specific location where it’s easy to understand, easy to read,” said acting city manager Jim Nicol.
“Our ultimate goal here is transparency for the public.”
A clearer picture of city performance
The new dashboard tracks both performance indicators and service statistics, helping residents understand not just what the city is doing, but how well it’s doing it.
Performance measures focus on whether services are meeting expected standards like timeliness, safety, and reliability. Service statistics, meanwhile, provide context by showing activity levels across departments.
For Nicol, the goal is to give residents the full picture.
“So the public understands, here are the service levels that are attached to certain things. How is the city doing on them?” he said. “If it’s exceeding them, that’s great. If not, why not?”
That level of detail, he added, is key to building trust and accountability.
“If we aren’t meeting expectations in some area, this dashboard will show that.”
From scattered reports to one central hub
While the city has historically released performance data through annual reports, master plans and departmental updates, the information has often been spread across multiple documents and formats.
The new dashboard marks the first time that data has been consolidated into a single, accessible location.
“I think this has been in the works for a while,” Nicol said, noting the push gained momentum over the past year, particularly with a new city council emphasizing transparency and public understanding.
The result is a tool that not only simplifies access to information but also allows residents to compare trends over time — typically across three to four years of data.
Data that tells a deeper story
One of the dashboard’s strengths, Nicol said, is its ability to provide context behind the numbers.
He pointed to building permit timelines as an example.
While the data may show a slight increase in processing time, it also reveals a significant rise in application volume — offering a more complete explanation of performance.
“It might be a delay of one day extra this year because they’re dealing with hundreds more permits than they did last year,” Nicol explained. “So it just tells a story.”
That storytelling element is intentional.
“It explains what happens and then it explains why that’s happened,” he said. “So I think it tells a really complete picture.”
A tool for both the public and city hall
Beyond public transparency, the dashboard is also expected to play a key role internally.
By clearly identifying areas where performance is strong or falling short it gives city administration a clearer roadmap for improvement.
“It helps us address any gaps in some of our performance areas,” Nicol said. “Do we need to put more resources in? Do we need to change a process?”
It also provides valuable comparisons with other municipalities, helping Regina benchmark its performance against similar jurisdictions.
Connecting services to tax dollars
City officials say the dashboard could also play an important role in future budget discussions.
By showing what residents are getting for their tax dollars, the tool aims to provide more context when funding decisions are made.
“When you have this kind of data and you can show people what they’re getting for their tax dollar, it helps them appreciate what’s done,” Nicol said.
“And it gives them a far better understanding as to why we’re looking for an increase in a particular area.”
Still evolving
The dashboard will be updated annually, with additional services and metrics expected to be added over time as more data becomes available.
Some gaps remain, particularly in areas where performance has not historically been measured — but officials say filling those gaps is part of the long-term plan.
“I think everyone is coming to the realization that information and data is really important,” Nicol said. “If you’re not measuring what you’re doing, then how do you know how you’re doing?”
For Regina, the launch signals a broader shift in how the city communicates with residents. By making performance data more visible, accessible and understandable, the city is aiming to strengthen accountability and public trust. And for residents, it offers something new: a clearer view into the day-to-day work that keeps the city running and how well it’s being done.
