REGINA - With the 2nd phase of the Dewdney revitalization project set to begin soon, business owners want to make sure customers are aware that they’re open.
Mark Heise, CEO of Rebellion Brewing Co, said Dewdney Avenue will be shut down for vehicles in May and June from what he's been told.
"We need to make sure that there's lots of communication, messaging and ways to find parking and ultimately still access our business."
During last year’s construction, Heise said it got "a little sloppy" at the end. He mentioned how some roads would say they were closed despite being open or how signs caused confusion for drivers who drove on the wrong side of the road.
Even with these comments, Heise doesn’t blame anyone for this, as he believes everyone was a bit fatigued.
From a business side, Heise noted they faced some challenges from the construction, like shipments getting delayed.
While Rebellion Brewing Co. does generate some revenue from customers, which saw a drop during Dewdney Ave being closed in 2024, Heise noted, "a bulk of our business is actually as a manufacturer and a distributor of beer" across Sask. and other provinces.
Because a brewery uses lots of water, Heise also mentioned they’ve had water disruptions from the construction, forcing him to shut down operations for the day.
"It sucks, right, because it costs me money, and I've still got to pay my staff."
Other businesses along Dewdney have shown more frustration from the construction, said Heise.
"I can only assume that they were definitely more impacted in terms of their business. I feel bad for them."
Heise spoke about the challenges businesses already faced because of COVID-19. With talks of tariffs and inflation, he said the construction feels like an add-on.
Despite these challenges, Heise sees the construction as a short-term loss and a long-term gain.
He emphasized the lack of residents in the Warehouse District and how the city could invest more in housing units in the area to increase foot traffic.
"We'd love to see this [area] eventually grow to 20,000 people. This would completely flip our business model here as we probably would have to look at expanding and growing."
Heise said these numbers would align with other cities' per capita numbers for areas around downtown.
With the city adding green spaces, expanding sidewalks, adding crosswalks and paving the road, Heise said this is a great way to attract people to move into the area with amenities already available.
The project to reconstruct Dewdney was announced back in 2018, with $32 million being invested between Regina, the provincial and federal governments.
Phase 1 began in 2024, focusing on underground infrastructure, replacing water mains, sewer mains, etc.
There has been no official date for when Phase 2 will begin, but Heise said it could start as early as this week.
The current plan is to finish construction by 2025, with maintenance occurring between 2026-28.
