👑 Halloween passes are back

Regina's friendly local roundup | Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Happy Wednesday, Regina! 👋

Today looks like a good one, with Environment Canada calling for sunshine and a high of 16°C. Tonight is also the peak of the Orionid meteor shower, so it might be worth setting an early alarm.

Today we've got a big groundbreaking in North Central, the Riders gearing up for one more home game, a candy alternative for Halloween, the Holiday Train's Regina date and a chance to weigh in on Victoria Avenue. Let's get into it.

In today's edition:

Piapot First Nation marked a big milestone on Monday, breaking ground on a nearly $10 million commercial building at 1101 Angus Street in North Central Regina. The two-storey, 24,000-square-foot project will include six retail units, a drive-through and about 12,000 square feet of office space, and it's expected to open in November 2027. Young Dogs Developments Limited Partnership, a wholly owned subsidiary of the First Nation, is leading the work. Chief Mark Fox said it was very exciting to finally break ground after 22 years.

The First Nation bought the land in the early 2000s through the Treaty Land Entitlement process and established its urban reserve there in 2008. The Creeland Mini Mart and Gas Bar has operated on the site since 2009. Fox said the long wait came down to building the business structure and revenue needed for a project this size. He's hoping to attract a pharmacy and, someday, a bank, and said Westridge plans a job fair to recruit Piapot members for construction. Members helped shape the design through community engagement sessions, and Fox said they're proud to finally see something happening on the urban reserve.

Twenty-two years in the making. Worth the wait.

The Riders have already locked up a playoff spot, but Corey Mace isn't treating Saturday's regular-season finale against the Edmonton Elks like a throwaway. Mace didn't tip his hand on lineup decisions during Monday's SportsCage, but he said the team is still looking for every possible way to win, and wants to carry the high of last week into the post-season. There's a lot riding on the result. A win keeps Saskatchewan in the West, with a trip to Vancouver to face the B.C. Lions. A loss sends the Riders across to the East to play the Toronto Argonauts.

Either way, Mace said the team knows it's headed on the road, and even a Grey Cup in Calgary wouldn't be a home game. Keeping the lineup together has value, too. Last week's 16-12 win over Montreal was the first time since July 23 that KeeSean Johnson, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Sam Emilus, the team's top three receivers, played in the same game, and the offence showed some rust. Mace said Trevor Harris and A.J. Ouellette weren't satisfied with their own performances, and he expects both to work hard to be better next time out.

Kickoff is 1 p.m. Saturday at Mosaic. One last home game before the road trip.

Set an early alarm. The Orionid meteor shower peaks overnight Oct. 21 and 22 and can produce up to 20 meteors an hour under dark skies. The meteors are bits of debris left behind by Halley's Comet, which last came by in 1986, and they strike the atmosphere at about 68 kilometres per second, making them some of the fastest of the year.

The moon won't help this year. It'll be bright on the peak nights and will wash out the fainter meteors, so your best shot is the hours before dawn, once the moon has set. Covey says to leave the telescope and binoculars at home, find somewhere dark away from streetlights and just watch. Give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust, and stay off your phone screen while you wait. The meteors appear to come from near Orion and the red star Betelgeuse, but they can show up anywhere in the sky. If it's cloudy, activity stays elevated for several days around the peak.

A blanket, a thermos and a dark spot outside the city. That's the whole plan.

The City of Regina's Healthy Halloween passes are on sale again, giving trick-or-treaters something other than candy. Each pass gets kids free admission to activities at City recreation facilities, including leisure swimming and drop-in basketball, badminton or tennis. Packs of 10 cost $7 for children ages 2 to 12 and $10 for youth ages 13 to 18. You can pick them up until Oct. 31, while supplies last, at the Fieldhouse, Lawson Aquatic Centre, North West Leisure Centre and Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre.

Diana Burton, the City's director of recreation and cultural services, called the passes a fun and affordable way to give kids an alternative to sweets. On Halloween itself, City staff will hand out free passes, while supplies last, at those four facilities plus the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre and Mitakuyé Owâs'ā Centre. Free passes will also be available during the free public skate at Murray Balfour Arena from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. Full details are on the City of Regina's website.

Less sugar, more cannonballs.

It's never too early to plan this one. The CPKC Holiday Train is rolling through Saskatchewan again this winter, and its Regina stop is Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Every stop is free, and guests are asked to bring a food or cash donation for the local food bank. American Authors and Tyler Shaw will perform at Regina and the other stops on the southern route, which starts in Moosomin on Dec. 6 and wraps up in Maple Creek on Dec. 8.

This is the 28th year for the Holiday Train. Over that time it has raised more than $28.3 million for food banks along the CPKC line and collected 5.6 million pounds of food in Canada and the United States. A second train will stop in Estevan and Weyburn on Dec. 20 with Shawnee Kish and Jamie Fine. Watch for details on the exact Regina location closer to the date.

Bundle up, bring a can and sing along.

If you live, work, drive or run a business along Victoria Avenue, the City of Regina wants to hear from you. An online survey is open for the Victoria Avenue Corridor Study and Functional Design, which covers the stretch between Broad Street and Arcola Avenue. The project will look at replacing aging underground infrastructure and pipes, along with ways to improve how the corridor works, looks and is accessed. That includes transportation, accessibility and streetscape upgrades meant to support new businesses, services and housing in the area.

No final design decisions have been made, and construction won't start for a few years. The City says work could begin as early as 2029, depending on study findings, council direction and budget approvals, and would likely happen in phases. The survey is open until Nov. 3, and a second open house is planned for Dec. 2. You can take the survey and send questions to the project team on the Be Heard Regina page.

Drive it every day? A few minutes on a survey now beats grumbling about it later.

October 21 to 23

🏒 Regina Pats vs. Seattle Thunderbirds | Brandt Centre, 1700 Elphinstone Street | 7:00 PM | Paid admission | The Pats open a three-game homestand, with 2-for-1 hot dogs until puck drop and a comic book giveaway at the door while supplies last.
Details

🤠 The Rhinestone Cowgirls: The Legendary Ladies of Country Music | Conexus Arts Centre, 200 Lakeshore Drive | 7:00 PM | $84.10, taxes and fees included | A tribute to the women who shaped country music, from Patsy, Tammy, Loretta and Dolly to Faith and Carrie.
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💿 Classic Albums Live: Madonna's The Immaculate Collection | Casino Regina Show Lounge, 1880 Saskatchewan Drive | 8:00 PM, doors 7:15 PM | $43 to $50 plus tax and fees | The full album recreated live on stage, note for note, with no costumes or impersonations.
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🎶 The Inconsoulables | Bushwakker Brewpub, 2206 Dewdney Avenue | 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM | Free admission, no minors | Sixties and seventies garage, rock, soul and funk classics for Wednesday Folk Night.
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🧠 Science Connections: Using AI to Predict Disease Outbreaks | Saskatchewan Science Centre, 2903 Powerhouse Drive | 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM | $13.99, free for members | Dr. Affan Shoukat explains how AI can help predict outbreaks, followed by Q&A, coffee and time on the exhibit floor.
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🔍 Crime Lab Forensics Experience | RCMP Heritage Centre, 5907 Dewdney Avenue | 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM | Paid admission | Step into the role of an investigator and work through a forensics experience at the museum.
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🪲 Exhibit: Creepy Crawly Cleaners | Royal Saskatchewan Museum, 2445 Albert Street | 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM daily, through October | Admission by donation | Watch dermestid beetles clean skulls and skeletons live in a spooky display in the museum lobby.
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🥊 Street Fighter: The IMAX Experience | Kramer IMAX Theatre, 2903 Powerhouse Drive | Playing through October 29, check showtimes | Paid admission | Ryu and Ken are pulled back into combat for the World Warrior Tournament. The run has been extended.
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🎩 Darcy Oake: Illusionist | Casino Regina Show Lounge, 1880 Saskatchewan Drive | 8:00 PM, doors 7:15 PM | $38.50 to $45 plus tax and fees | The Britain's Got Talent finalist brings his full-scale theatrical illusion show to the stage.
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🎸 K-Man & the 45s with The Hurry Hards | The Exchange, 2431 8th Avenue | Doors 7:00 PM | $15 | Rock and roll ska from Montreal, with Regina's own The Hurry Hards. All ages and licensed.
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🌪️ Stormbound in IMAX | Kramer IMAX Theatre, 2903 Powerhouse Drive | Playing through March 31, 2027, check showtimes | Paid admission | Ride along with storm chaser Jeff Gammons into the heart of the world's most powerful hurricanes.
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🏒 Regina Pats vs. Moose Jaw Warriors | Brandt Centre, 1700 Elphinstone Street | 7:00 PM | Paid admission | Viva Mexico Night, with a chance to win a $1,500 WestJet gift card from YQR Airport and Autograph Alley after the game.
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🎤 Hawksley Workman | Darke Hall | 7:30 PM | $30 to $50, $10 youth under 20 | A genre-bending night of pop, rock and cabaret from the acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter.
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🤘 Hells Bells: Celebrating the Music of AC/DC | Conexus Arts Centre, 200 Lakeshore Drive | 7:30 PM | See listing | Time Warp Promotions presents a tribute to the music of AC/DC.
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🤠 Owen Riegling: In the Feeling Tour | Casino Regina Show Lounge, 1880 Saskatchewan Drive | 8:00 PM, doors 7:15 PM | $47.50 to $57.50 plus tax and fees | The award-winning Canadian country singer-songwriter, with opener Sully Burrows.
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👻 Ghost Story Tours | Government House, 4607 Dewdney Avenue | 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, tours every 20 minutes, last tour 8:20 PM | Free, no registration | Hear about the paranormal happenings of the century-plus Government House this Halloween season. First come, first served.
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🧶 4th Annual Queen City Fibre Festival | Bunge International Trade Centre, 1700 Elphinstone Street | 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM | $5 day pass, cash only, 12 and under free | More than 50 vendors from across the Prairies, plus workshops, demos, free talks and a Friday keynote with Kim McBrien Evans.

🏈 U of R Rams vs. UBC Thunderbirds | Leibel Field, 200 Assiniboine Avenue East | 7:00 PM | $26.65 | A Friday night of university football at Leibel Field. Go Rams.
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🐾 The Great Catsby: A Cabaret Fundraiser for Regina Cat Rescue | The Exchange, 2431 8th Avenue | All ages 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, 19+ 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM | See listing | Live music, magic, tarot, face painting and more, with Z99's Amanda Fisher as MC and proceeds supporting Regina Cat Rescue.
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⏰ Alarm's already set
🌙 Only if I happen to be awake
☁️ I'll wait for someone's photos
🛌 Nothing beats my bed

Hit reply and let us know :)

Thanks for reading Queen City Digest. Look up tonight, and have a great rest of your week.

🗓️ Next edition: Friday, October 23.

-QCD