Regina's friendly local roundup | Friday, July 3, 2026

Happy Friday, Regina! 👋

Canada Day is in the books, the sun is out, and the weekend is nearly here. A Regina man spent Tuesday night trying to plant his way back into the record books, Saskatchewan just made it a lot easier to book a mammogram, and the Riders are on the road tonight looking for their first win in a couple of weeks.

There is also plenty happening around town this weekend, from a classic car show to the Farmers' Market to a brand new gallery exhibition opening at the Central Library. Let's get into it.

In today's edition:

Regina Man Falls Just Short of Reclaiming His Own Tree-Planting World Record

Kenny Chaplin first broke the Guinness World Record for most trees planted by one person in 24 hours back in 2001, and held onto it for two decades. On Tuesday, working in a field near Buena Vista, about 40 kilometres northwest of Regina, he set out to reclaim the title with a goal of 24,000 jack pine seedlings, working alongside his twin brother and a small crowd of volunteers.

Chaplin's body gave out around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, 18 hours in, but not before he had planted 17,000 trees, comfortably beating his own original mark of 15,170. The whole effort ran on community goodwill: a forestry company donated 30,000 seedlings, neighbours showed up with a generator and a back brace on short notice, and even Chaplin's own doctor made a house call to the field to check on him mid plant. Whether or not the record ever comes back to Saskatchewan, there is a new forest growing near Buena Vista that will be around for a lot longer than the attempt was.

Breast Cancer Screening in Saskatchewan Just Got a Lot More Accessible

As of July 1, women aged 40 and older in Saskatchewan can book a screening mammogram through the province's BreastCheck program without needing a referral from a doctor. It's the final stage of a phased rollout that began with women 50 and up back in January 2025, and it opens the door for roughly 76,000 more women across the province.

To qualify, you need to have no breast symptoms, no implants, and be at least five years clear of any previous breast cancer diagnosis. About 75 percent of breast cancers caught through BreastCheck are found at an early stage, when they are far more treatable. Appointments are available at eight designated locations across Saskatchewan, plus two mobile units that travel to rural and northern communities. Booking is as simple as a phone call to 1-855-584-8228.

More information here

From Team Canada to the Sidelines, Regina's Reid Richard Is Passing It Forward

Reid Richard was born without tibia bones in his lower legs, and his parents made the difficult decision early on to proceed with amputation rather than years of painful surgery. He was introduced to wheelchair basketball at 12, during a demonstration at his elementary school in Fillmore, and within two years he was playing for Team Saskatchewan. By his twenties, he had suited up for Team Canada's U23 roster.

Now 31, Richard has traded his playing days for coaching, leading the Regina Paratroopers, a co-ed club that has built a competitive and social community around wheelchair basketball for more than 20 years. About half the roster is able-bodied players, something Richard says he loves about how accessible the sport is. He hopes his own story encourages more people, disabled or not, to give adaptive sports a try. Getting enrolled in sports, he says, is the best thing that ever happened to him.

The Regina Paratroopers Facebook page can be found here

Riders Head to Ottawa Tonight Looking to Get Back on Track

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-1) are on the road tonight to face the winless Ottawa REDBLACKS (0-3) at TD Place, looking to bounce back from a loss to Toronto last week. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Eastern, which works out to 5:30 p.m. here at home, with the game on TSN and CFL+, and on the radio locally on 620 CKRM.

The Riders will be a little shorthanded at receiver after James Letcher Jr. landed on the six-game injured list with an elbow injury, opening the door for rookie Mathew Sexton to take over return duties. Trevor Harris leads the offence at quarterback, and the matchup doubles as a bit of a reunion, with a few familiar faces from last year's Grey Cup run now lining up on opposite sidelines. A win tonight would be a great way to head into the long weekend.

July 3 to 5, 2026

What's on your long weekend agenda?

Hit reply and let us know :)

Thanks for reading Queen City Digest. Whatever you end up doing this weekend, we hope it's a good one out there.

Next edition: Monday, July 6.

-QCD