👑 Regina General's NICU just got bigger

Regina's friendly local roundup | Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Happy Wednesday, Regina! 👋

It's shaping up to be a warm one today, with highs near 26°C and clear skies, great weather for the farmer’s market downtown today - enjoy it while it lasts, because a cooler, wetter Thursday is on the way before we bounce back to summer-like warmth on Friday. Fitting weather for a big day: Regina Public Schools and Regina Catholic Schools both welcome students back to the classroom this morning.

There's also a full slate of Pats pre-season hockey at the Brandt Centre this week, the Farmers' Market is back downtown, and a Regina astronomer is getting attention well beyond Saskatchewan. Let's get into it.

In today's edition:

It's the first day of the 2026-27 school year for both Regina Public Schools and Regina Catholic Schools, with students returning to class this morning. Regina Catholic Schools has a staggered start for its high schoolers this week, with Grade 9 students attending in the morning and Grades 10 to 12 in the afternoon, before the full regular bell schedule kicks in.

Regina Public Schools' First Ride program got kindergarten students and new bus riders acquainted with their routes last month, and Regina Catholic held its traditional opening Mass at Resurrection Parish before staff headed back into schools. However your morning routine changes today, here's to a good year ahead for Regina's students, teachers and families.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Regina General Hospital is expanding from 25 to 28 bassinets, with the new capacity expected to come online this month. The Government of Saskatchewan is putting more than $2 million toward the staffing needed for the expansion, including over 17 new full-time positions, while the Hospitals of Regina Foundation is contributing $800,000 for equipment and technology.

Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said the additional bassinets will help ensure more of the province's most vulnerable newborns can get specialized care close to home. It's on top of $1.5 million the Foundation had already committed this year to Regina's maternal health and pediatric programs. This is good news for families across southern Saskatchewan.

The sale of several REAL District facilities to Brandt Group of Companies, including the Brandt Centre and Queensbury Convention Centre, was originally targeted to close by September 1 — but the City of Regina confirmed this week that the closing date is being pushed back while the two sides finalize the paperwork. City council approved the deal back in May.

In a statement, the city said the size and scope of the transaction means the parties are taking the appropriate time to complete the detailed agreements and closing requirements. No new closing date has been announced yet, but the city says significant progress has been made since council's approval.

University of Regina astronomy professor Sam Lawler has written 23 articles for The Conversation Canada, an outlet that publishes research written by academics for a general audience, and those pieces have now been read nearly two million times. Her recent article on the concept of a giant space mirror was one of the most-read stories on the platform in recent months, drawing close to 30,000 readers on its own.

U of R Vice-President (Research) Chris Yost pointed to Lawler's reach as a sign of the strength and relevance of the university's research community, saying the work connects with people well beyond Saskatchewan. It's a nice reminder that some pretty big ideas about the universe are being worked out right here in Regina.

September 2 to 4

🏒 Pats Pre-Season Game vs. Moose Jaw Warriors | Brandt Centre, 1717 Elphinstone Street | 7:00 PM | Paid admission | The second of the Pats' three pre-season home dates this month.
Details

🎻 Wednesday Night Folk | Bushwakker Brewpub, 2206 Dewdney Avenue | 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM | Free admission | Local and touring folk, roots, bluegrass and alt-country acts, every Wednesday night. This is a recurring weekly listing with no single-event page.
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🍺 Monthly ALES Homebrewing Meeting | Bushwakker Brewpub, Basement Clubroom | 7:00 PM | Free | The city's homebrewing club meets on the first Wednesday of the month, open to new members.
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🥬 Regina Farmers' Market | Pat Fiacco Plaza, 2190 12th Avenue | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Free admission | Local produce, baked goods, honey and preserves from area vendors.
Market info

🕵️ NEW Crime Lab Forensics Experience | RCMP Heritage Centre, 5907 Dewdney Avenue | 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM | $32+tax
Step into the role of an investigator in a hands-on forensics experience, running Wednesday through Friday this week.
Details

🎤 Artesian Open Mic Night | The Artesian on 13th | 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM | Free
Details

🕵️ NEW Crime Lab Forensics Experience | RCMP Heritage Centre, 5907 Dewdney Avenue | 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM | $32+tax | Step into the role of an investigator in a hands-on forensics experience.
Details

🍷 Aleana Young's Annual Wine & Cheese Classic | Darke Hall, 2255 College Avenue | 6:00 PM | Paid admission | An evening of wine and cheese pairings with Aleana Young and Josh McLean of Homestead Bar à Vin, supporting a local fundraising cause.
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🎬 War Stories Our Mothers Never Told Us | RPL Film Theatre, Central Library, 2311 12th Avenue | 1:00 PM – 2:35 PM | Free admission | A 1995 New Zealand documentary exploring women's memories of the Second World War.
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🎬 Tuner | RPL Film Theatre, Central Library | 7:00 PM – 8:50 PM | Free admission
A 2025 American drama from director Daniel Roher.
Details

🕵️ NEW Crime Lab Forensics Experience | RCMP Heritage Centre, 5907 Dewdney Avenue | 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM | $32+tax | Step into the role of an investigator in a hands-on forensics experience.
Details

🍻 First Firkin Friday | Bushwakker Brewpub, 2206 Dewdney Avenue | 5:30 PM | Free admission | The monthly tradition where a fresh keg of ale is paraded through the pub led by a piper, then tapped by a volunteer.
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🎸 The Deep Dark Woods wsg The North Sound | The Artesian on 13th | Doors 7:00 PM, Show 8:00 PM | Paid admission | The Saskatoon-founded folk-roots band returns to Regina on their fall tour. No single-event page currently exists due to the venue's cyberattack.
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🎬 North by Northwest | RPL Film Theatre, Central Library | 4:00 PM – 6:20 PM | Free admission | Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 classic thriller starring Cary Grant.
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🎬 Disclosure Day | RPL Film Theatre, Central Library | 7:00 PM – 9:25 PM | Free admission
Steven Spielberg's new film starring Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor.
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🎬 The Odyssey: The IMAX 70mm Experience | Kramer IMAX Theatre, Saskatchewan Science Centre | Playing through September 16 | Paid admission | Christopher Nolan's mythic epic based on Homer's The Odyssey, shot on IMAX film.
Showtimes

🖼️ Connective Tissue | Dunlop Art Gallery, Central Library | Free, through Sept 5 | Curated by Wendy Peart.
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🐮 Bruce Anderson: Herd-Bound | Dunlop Art Gallery, Sherwood Village Branch | Free, through Oct 14 | Curated by Alexander Rondeau, for adult audiences.
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🎒 Back to school energy
🏒 Pats pre-season hockey
🥬 The Farmers' Market is back
🔭 Regina research making global waves

Hit reply and let us know :)

Thanks for reading Queen City Digest. Whether you're dropping off kids at school or heading to the Brandt Centre tonight, it's a good week to be in Regina.

🗓️ Next edition: Friday, September 4.

-QCD