Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
With a metro population of about a quarter million people,
Regina is the capital of Saskatchewan but only its second largest city. I found it to be the place in the province
with the most actual sites to see. Similar to Saskatoon, there are some nice in
town neighborhoods as well as suburban areas, but I also observed a fair amount
of shabby, run down parts of town as well as the existence of some serious
social problems. Some Americans seem under the impression that the social ills
that plague the U.S. don’t exist north of the border. They are mistaken.
Regina’s downtown was much smaller than I was expecting. It’s
not Calgary. I suspect it was especially
quiet in the blocks around Victoria Park because I was there on a Sunday. Most of the restaurants, stores, and various businesses
on the pedestrian mall and surrounding blocks were actually closed.
I started off at what I was inclined to call the provincial
parliament but is known locally as the Provincial Legislative Building. Lucky for me, free tours were running on
Sunday.
When the young tour guide asked
where I was from and I said Montana, he noted that Montana’s state capitol
building is very similar is appearance to Saskatchewan’s legislative building. He sort of beat me to it. I had noticed the
same thing and was going to mention it to him some time on the tour. Had he been there? No. He knew it from the Yellowstone TV show. I have never seen the show myself but have
been to the capitol building in Helena numerous times. The physical similarity is more on the
outside than the inside. Unlike all but one U.S. state, Canadian legislatures
are unicameral rather than bicameral, and legislators are known as MLAs
(Members of the Legislative Assembly) rather than senators or representatives.
The Provincial Legislative Building is located in Wascana
Center, a large parklike area south of downtown that surrounds a lake and
includes other public buildings and the University of Regina. Between Wascana Lake and the legislative
buildings are the beautiful Queen Elizabeth Gardens, where a statue depicts the
queen riding Burmese, her favorite horse that was originally from Saskatchewan.
Numerous historical markers around the garden describe the Queen’s numerous
visits to the province. Regina’s two
main museums are also located in the Wascana Centre complex. The Royal Saskatchewan
Museum covers the province’s natural history and American Indian (“First
Nations”) cultures, while the MacKenzie Gallery is a small art museum with a
mostly modern collection and gallery space. Its contents were a bit too abstract and
contemporary for my taste.
Two of Regina’s attractions are on its west side. Government House was built to be the
residence of the lieutenant governors of the Northwest Territories (which later
became the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta). After some years of
dereliction and other uses, it’s been restored to its former glory as a period museum
with guided tours and is surrounded by what are called the Edwardian Gardens.
Just a mile farther down the road is the RCMP Heritage Center,
a modern museum adjacent to the RCMP’s main training academy with displays
covering everything you’d ever want to know about the Mounties and their
history. However, the actual academy is
off limits to casual visitors, so you don’t get to see any live Mounties in
training. Overall, there is enough to
see and do in Regina for a full day of sightseeing.
2025-05-22