Why Do You Live Here Winner Announced

After one week of voting, the public has chosen a winner. Congratulations Leanne Matthes on winning our "Why Do You Live Here" Contest. Second place was awarded to Katherine Change. Honorable mentions went to Judy Dielschneider and Susan Warner-Genaille. Read their submissions below. 

Thank you to everyone who entered our Why Do You Live Here Contest. All entries can still be viewed on our Facebook Page at any time.

Thank you as well to our prize donors - Evraz Place, Regina Folk Festival, City of Regina and Wingate by Wyndham.

FIRST PLACE: FINALIST #2

Regina is full of honest people doing honest work, living a good life surrounded by the things that matter most to them. For some what matters most is family, others it’s stable employment or opportunity.... how about the chance to live without fear? Our city has great social offerings and excellent services, interesting activities and healthy communities. New comers to our city are quickly welcomed, new businesses are celebrated and seen as opportunity, and change is not something the hearty folk of southern Saskatchewan are afraid of. Speaking of fears....living in Regina I have few. I’m safe and my family is too. I encourage my child to walk to the park and play, meet other children and befriend those we haven’t seen before.

What makes ME love Regina? The people. It is the unwritten but quickly recognized set of morals and manners that is ingrained in of most of us Regina born that is admirable and something I’m proud to instill in my daughter. It is the easy nature at which we deal with each other, the respect we have for our neighbours, those we share our ‘hometown’ with. It is obvious to anyone moving here, or returning :-) that Regina is a city meant to be a home. Whether you were born at the General - same as me, or moved from Ontario, returned from Alberta, or immigrated from overseas.....Regina gets in your heart; she becomes your comfort zone, your home. As such, it is difficult to tell between those who choose to make Regina their home and those who choose to keep Regina as their home.

As we travel, experiencing new places and different people we are aware of the rudeness and coldness with which we’re dealt outside of the unparalleled borders of this fine province. There is charm and honesty you will find in all of Saskatchewan, and these wonderful attributes are alive and well in our Queen City. It is for these reasons and several others that I choose to remain in this weather beaten town.

A few years ago (I’m not saying how many!) my overworked mother of 3 wannabe-independent daughters was tired of having to run out at all hours to help us with our not-so-reliable vehicles. One day she announced “Girls, from now on if you’re having trouble with your car I want you to open your hood, hold out your booster cables and stand there looking stupid. You will be helped, and Heaven help me, you will learn to help yourselves!” Guess what? She was right!! This city, our communities are FULL of people who’ve had car trouble and who know how to rock a front wheel drive out of all three ruts left on the city’s side streets in Spring.

I couldn’t imagine raising my family anywhere but here! They say that it takes a community to raise a child....Well, this community raised me and I think it did a pretty good job. :) Thank you Regina!

Leanne Matthes

SECOND PLACE - FINALIST #6

2011 will be the 37th year we live in Regina. My husband said to me in 1974, we will just go there for one year, then we will move. :-) I love Regina for:

1. The streets are very simple. After all these years, I only know of Albert Street, Broad Street, Victoria Ave. Dewdney Ave, and Arcola Ave. Then I can find all the others from there.

2. I love our rush hours, it takes less than 20 min to clear it all.

3. You can go from East end of the city to West end in 15 min. South to North in about the same.

4. There is a Chinese saying “Although the sparrow is tiny, but it has all the organs it needs.” Regina has a Science Centre; A Natural History Museum; a RCMP Museum; a university; a nice Bike Trail/ski trail for winter; Conexus Arts Centre with a concert hall and banquet halls; A performing Art Centre; many conference centres, hotels; movie theaters; Exhibition Park; a man-made lake which is so beautiful that when I was touring New Zealand in 2009, I keep thinking about why do we go there to sight-seeing. Canada is prettier and cleaner and way, way bigger. And Wascana Lake is better. We may not have black swans, but we have famous Canadian Geese!

5. Lots of shopping Centres to spend money on. Most people watch for sales. So you are able to stretch your money a long way.

6. A small city to raise children is most ideal. Parents do not have to spend hours in driving the children from and to activities. And there are all kinds of activities for children to choose from.

7. Our one and only Saskatchewan Roughrider football team and a Mosaic stadium for those football fans, and Regina Pats for Hockey fans.

8. Regina is truly a multicultural Centre, all different back ground of people live happily in peace with each other. This can be seen from the annual Mosaic, folk festival, and all sort of different organizations’ charity gala which raises funds for local hospitals and all sort of charities.

9. Everywhere you go, you meet someone that knows someone you know. This is the beauty of a community. The funny thing is, you cannot really do anything bad, because someone will know, then, some you know will know also, and that will be bad for you.

Maybe someday, I will tell you the story why we stayed for 37 years and God willing for another 37 years (I will be 103!) :-)

There, I think I say enough.

Thanks and take care.

Happy Year of Rabbit to You!!!

Katherine Chang

HONORABLE MENTION - FINALIST #3

I live in Regina because it is the place I call home and I love it!

I had always lived on a farm or in a small community. So in 1988 when my husband decided that it would make more sense to move to the city since we spent more time on the road than at home driving back and forth to work, plus taking our children to their activities in Regina, I was scared to death! Wasn’t the city a dangerous place where everything had to be locked up, people weren’t friendly and most didn’t; even know their neighbours?

Well I couldn’t have been more wrong! We have lived in Regina now for almost 23 years, and I would never live anywhere else; It is one of the most beautiful, safest and friendliest places I know. Our neighbors are some of our best friends, and we are always watching out for and helping each other.

There are so many other things that I am proud of about our city. We live in the capital of the province; I think that gives us great bragging rights. We have our beautiful gem Wascana Lake & Park. Strolling around the lake one can’t help but be astonished and proud of its beauty. We are home to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Every time I see a red surge somewhere else I think these young men & women got their training in our home, Regina. We host some of the most prestigious events in the country. The Royal Red and the Canadian Western Agribition are just a couple. We have a mayor who truly cares about our city, and has done so much to revitalize it. I still think the “I Love Regina” campaign is one of the best things to ever happen, because I truly believe that is what the way most people feel.

And of course our beloved Rough Riders! We have the most dedicated football fans in the world! I am so proud to be one of them. People envy the loyalty of our fans, and nowhere else comes close.

We have some of the best job opportunities in the country, with many big corporations having taken an interest in what Regina has to offer. Where else can you get to work in under 20 minutes (at the most). I can’t even imagine spending an hour or more each day on a freeway getting to and from work.

We have so many opportunities for community involvement, and organizations welcome volunteers with open arms.

I could go on forever as to why I choose to live in Regina, but hopefully the reasons I have given here will give you some idea of why I think Regina is the Best city in the world!

Judy Dielschneider

HONORABLE MENTION - FINALIST #5

Living in Regina, what is not to love?!

I grew up in Regina, the city with an abundance of beauty, excitement, culture and most of all the friendliest and most giving people I have come across.

Regina is a perfect sized city where you can get anywhere within fifteen minutes and enjoy the luscious landscaping, the rainbow colors of flowers, and the grand architecture of many buildings on the way to your destination.

So close to home, yet the world comes to us. We get larger than life bands to entertain us, a vast array of High calibre Professional and University Sports, Majestic Musicals and Theater. Who needs to go to New York? These are right here at home.

A University that produces a magnitude of highly skilled students, numerous awards and top professors. Their buildings open their doors to every culture possible so that the enrichment of Regina will entice those to seek employment here and keep Regina an energetic, growing and prosperous city.

We have the Royal Museum of Natural History, nestled amongst Wascana Park and Lake that invites you to explore our History and Ancestors. We have the McKenzie Art Gallery with breathtaking artwork of local and famous artists.

Living in Regina makes it so easy and comfortable to go on our winding bike paths as well as walks around the lake. The beauty of the birds singing makes your strolls soothing and relaxing. You almost always have someone going past you with a friendly wave or hello.

I love living in Regina for the fact as well that we are such a caring community. Any function or event we host, it is always done with perfection that has raised the bar so high, other places are hard to top us.

We have the RCMP Museum and Training Program that shows off the amazing Sunset Ceremonies, the history of the RCMP and the stunning Red Serge Uniform that we are so proud to tell tourists about.

Our amateur sports and our community programs have a large variety of choices and make it affordable for us to participate in. Regina has a huge volume of volunteers that keep these programs going and I believe this is contributed to the fact we have a friendly, unselfish community that are willing to give their time to ensure our population grows and stays here.

Winter comes to life with a skating rink in the middle of Victoria Park as well as a Winter Festival in February, decorative streetlights during the Christmas Season, and the numerous households that go all out and adorn their lawns and homes with Christmas lighting and animated figures. What a perfect family outing, to go around looking at all the magnificent lights! We also cannot forget the lighting of the Legislative Building to start off the holiday season. Singing, hot chocolate, and a community coming together to enjoy!

Regina is the right size for raising a family where you will always have numerous choices for activities, entertainment and involvement. It is safe, clean and affordable. Is there really any other place to live? Hmmm I think not.

Susan Warner-Genaille