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Regina:
Queen City and Capital of
Canada's Breadbasket Province
by
Jerry W. Bird
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Having
visited Regina, Saskatchewan many times over the
decades, and cheering ourselves hoarse for their
plucky "Green Rider" football team during the Ron
Lancaster- George Reed era, we hardly needed the
Chamber of Commerce or anyone else to remind us
that it's among the most hospitable cities in
Canada. When one thinks of Regina, one of the first
things that comes to mind is the red coated Mountie
- an international symbol of Canada. My dad took
his training there before being posted to Dawson
City in the far Yukon. The colorful history of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) parallels the
history of the city even before it was founded.
Over a century after the first Northwest Mounted
Police troop was sent to quell a major uprising,
the Scarlet and Gold force (which once included my
father) still trains its recruits here. From our
visit to Regina's famous RCMP Museum, we could see
why it ranks amongst Canada's top tourist
attractions.
A modern,
sophisticated, multicultural center of business and
government, Regina's hospitality is legendary.
Known as Canada's Queen City, Regina has enjoyed a
proud association with British monarchy, since 1882
when Princess Louise named a small, dusty town on
"Pile of Bones Creek" after her mother, Queen
Victoria. Today, it's the center of a multi-billion
dollar agricultural economy, home of a major steel
plant and Canada's first heavy oil upgrader. Regina
is head office of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool - the
largest grain handling co-operative in the world.
Other head offices include Crown Life and Farm
Credit Corporation, Credit Union Central and
Co-Operators Insurance.
Regina
Airport Information
Airlines:
Air BC /
Air Canada / Athabaska Airways / Canadian
Airlines
Canadian Regional Airlines/ Northwest / WestJet
Airlines
http://www.yqr.ca/index.html
More
about Regina:
Wascana Park, five minutes from city center,
features 2,300 lush acres of tree-lined lake shore,
with connecting pathways. It is the site of year
round public events, sports and leisure - from
swimming, dining, paddling and sailing, to some of
North America's best bird-watching sites. The
Regina Symphony Orchestra is the oldest in Canada.
Meeting
and Convention Facilities include Canada's
second largest
flat floor commercial exhibit facility, Regina
Exhibition Park's Queensbury Centre and The
Saskatchewan Centre in Wascana Park. Regina's
newest conference facility, the Saskatchewan Trade
and Convention Centre was completed in
1988.
 ..Some
Area
Attractions:
Canada's
breadbasket begins
at the
Saskatchewan border. Your first stop is Yorkton,
with its Western Development Museum. Further down
the Yellowhead is Big Quill Lake, one of 94,000
that dot the face of Saskatchewan. Over half
contain fish -- and 90% of these have never been
fished. With 68 species hatching each year, small
wonder our forebears always kept a spare canoe in
the driveway. A side trip from Lanigan leads to
Watrous
and Lake Manitou, (Lake of Good Spirit), whose
mineral waters rank with Europe's great spas. After
18 holes at Manitou Beach Club, a plunge will set
you up for dinner.
Why not enjoy it
at an authentic homestead?
Saskatchewan's
"Country Vacation
Farms"
(306-672-3970)
offer Bed and
Breakfast with a delicious difference. You even get
to help with the chores. Fresh milk anyone? Not
your average sod shanty, and well worth seeing is
Motherwell Homestead National Historic Park, near
Fort
Qu'Appelle.
Called Lanark Place, it was the gracious homestead
of William R. Motherwell, Saskatchewan's first
Agricultural Minister and an M.P. in Ottawa. The
main residence is an Italian-style mansion, built
in 1897 of cut fieldstone.
Travel
Information:
Tourism
Regina
Box 3355,
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3H1
Phone: (306) 789-5099
Fax: (306) 789-3171
Toll Free: 1-800-661-5099 (Canada & USA)
Email: tourism.regina@sk.sympatico.ca
Tourism
Saskatchewan.
500 - 1900 Albert Street
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 4L9
Phone: (306) 787-2300
Fax: (306) 787-5744
Toll Free: 1-800-667-7191 (Canada & Continental
US only)
Internet bookings: http://www.directions.ca or
http://198.163.214.10
Things
to see and do
City Hall Tour/ Classic Carriage/ Devonian Pathway
/ Diefenbaker Homestead
Government House Heritage Property / Hazard
Wildfowl Wood Carvings
Heritage Regina Tours/ Ipsco - Wildlife Park/
Legislative Building
Maxwell's Water Park/ McIntyre Street Gallery/
Nature Saskatchewan Tours
Native Heritage Foundation Gallery/ North-West
Territorial Administration Building / Saskatchewan
Genealogical Society/ Saskatchewan History/Folklore
Tours / Silver Sage Casino/ Susan Whitney Gallery/
Tee Off Park
Wascana Centre and Waterfowl Display Ponds/ Willow
Island
History/
Museums: Saskatchewan
Science Centre/ Royal Saskatchewan Museum/
Mackenzie Art Gallery
Rosemont Art Gallery/ Regina Plains Museum/ Joe
Moran Gallery
Prairie History Room/ RCMP Centennial Museum/
Dunlop Art Gallery
Regina Fire Service Museum / Gallery On The Roof/
Neutral Ground Gallery
Saskatchewan Military Museum/ Saskatchewan Sports
Hall of Fame/Museum
St. Paul's Cathedral/ Saskatchewan
Archives
Pro
Sports: Saskatchewan
Roughriders - CFL Football/ Regina Cyclones - PL
Baseball
Theatre:
Globe
Theatre/ Regina Performing Arts Center/ Fine Arts
Subscription Series, Kramer IMAX Theatre/
Saskatchewan Centre
.....SSaskatoon
- Saskatchewan's
other major airport.
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