With voting in the provincial elections now complete, attention can now turn to the upcoming municipal elections.

Municipalities across the province will go to the polls on November 13 to elect their councils and mayors.

In Regina, nine of the 11 mayoral candidates — Chad Bachynski, Lori Bresciani, Melina Bushenlonga, Bevann Fox, Kevin Kardash, Sandra Masters, Bill Pratt, Shawn Sparvier and Rod Williams — took part in a televised debate Wednesday.

Nathaniel Hewton and Bob Pearce were not present.

The candidates had the opportunity to share their vision of the city.

Several spoke about public safety throughout the evening, including Lori Bresciani, who served as Ward 4 councilor in Regina.

“Proactive solutions like Alternative Response Officers, the program to increase the presence of public safety officers in the downtown core will be a game-changer, and Regina Police will work closely with community associations across the city. neighborhoods to find ways to be more proactive. on reducing crime,” Bresciani said.

Bill Pratt, former CEO of Eden Care Homes, spoke about his approach to public safety.

“This will require multiple approaches as part of a broader strategy, and it goes beyond just law enforcement,” Pratt said.

“We need to look at the entire spectrum of public safety, from root causes to addressing substance abuse and mental health issues.”

Candidate Chad Bachynski, director at SaskEnergy, spoke about the need for more affordable housing within the city.

“It’s a math problem to me. It allows more people to use fewer lengths of roads, fewer lengths of pipelines and shorter transit trips,” Bachynski said. “So overall there is an overall benefit and it actually reduces the tax burden for people living in suburban areas.”

Outgoing Mayor Sandra Masters released her platform Wednesday morning with the slogan “Moving Regina Forward.”

Unlike Master’s first municipal campaign – which included a commitment to build a new indoor aquatic center – this platform did not include a major commitment to a single project.

“We have to finish the job we started,” Masters said.

Masters confirmed that if re-elected, it would be her last term as mayor.

Advance voting

Masters’ comments come as advance voting for the municipal elections is set to open Friday in Regina and Saskatoon and continue until Monday.

In SaskatoonVoting will take place from noon to 8 p.m. CST. In ReginaPolls will run from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CST.

Arrest warrant issued against mayoral candidate

A Regina mayoral candidate is now the subject of an RCMP arrest warrant.

Southey RCMP say on October 16, officers received a call regarding an assault at a residence in Saskatchewan Beach.

An investigation determined an adult male assaulted a woman who then reported non-life-threatening injuries, police said. They have now charged Nathaniel Hewton of Regina with one count of assault.

The RCMP is not sharing additional details about the incident to respect the victim’s privacy.

RCMP are actively attempting to locate Hewton. An arrest warrant was issued against him.

CBC attempted to contact Hewton. He didn’t answer.