Regina

Introduction

Regina is the capital of Saskatchewan, Canada, and has about 180,000 inhabitants in the city, and slightly over 200,000 in the metropolitan area. Before Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces, Regina was the capital of the Northwest Territories. Louis Riel was executed in the city. Wascana Centre, created around the focal point of Wascana Lake, remains one of Regina's attractions and contains the Provincial Legislative Building, both campuses of the University of Regina, First Nations University of Canada, the provincial museum of natural history, the Regina Conservatory (in the original Regina College buildings), the Saskatchewan Science Centre, the MacKenzie Art Gallery and the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts.

Sights and Activities

Regina has more parks and greenspace per capita than any major city in Canada. Wascana Centre is a huge 9.3-km² (2300-acre) park that is built around the shores of Wascana Lake, a man made lake in the heart of Regina. It is one of North America's largest urban parks, and includes several attractions, such as several walking and bicycle paths, the Saskatchewan Science Centre, an outdoor pool, a marina with boat rentals, the Saskatchewan Legislative building, and the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts.

Getting There

By Plane

Regina International Airport (YQR) is around 5 kilometres from the city centre. There are flights to/from Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Swift Current, Winnipeg, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Chicago, Denver, and seasonal flights to Las Vegas, Cancun, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and a few other places. Charter services go to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Bahamas, Cuba and Mexico.

By Car

Regina sits along the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1 in Saskatchewan) and is a 40-minute drive east of Moose Jaw. Saskatoon is 2½ hours to the north on Highway 11, Calgary is 7 hours to the west on Highway 1, and Winnipeg is a 5-hour drive to the east on Highway 1. Highway 6 runs north-south through the city along Albert Street, the main street, and runs south to the U.S. border (Raymond and Plentywood, Montana), which is about 90 minutes away; this port is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Going north it eventually leads to the parklands in central Saskatchewan and is one of four routes to Prince Albert (the others being Highway 11, Highway 2 via 11 and Highway 20 via 11). Highway 33 runs to southeast Saskatchewan and the cities of Weyburn and Estevan. Highway 46 is a short commuter highway to Balgonie, Saskatchewan

By Bus

Greyhound has buses to Winnipeg (8 hours) and Calgary (11 hours). STC has three daily buses to Saskatoon.
Rider Express, ☎ +1 306-209-3636, toll-free: +1-833-583-3636, e-mail: [email protected]. Bus service along the Trans-Canada Highway from Winnipeg to Vancouver, twice daily. Service from Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Medicine Hat, Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Regina, Whitewood, and Moosomin (Saskatchewan); Revelstoke, Salmon Arm, Kamloops, Hope, Abbotsford, and Vancouver (British Columbia); Calgary, Strathmore, Canmore, Lake Louise, and Banff (Alberta); and Brandon, and Winnipeg (Manitoba).

Getting Around

Regina is pretty navigable, especially its inner city area where roads are on a grid, like most other cities around the region. Regina also has a Ring Road, though it is only a half ring road and can take you around most of the city.

By Car

Some of the options to rent a car include the following companies:

• Avis
• Budget
• Discount
• Hertz
• National
• Enterprise
• Thrifty

Eat

Saskatchewan is known for having one of the largest per-capita ratio of restaurants to citizens, so there is a wide variety of places to choose from. Regina's downtown alone has approximately seventy eating establishments.

Drink

The legal drinking age in Saskatchewan is 19 years.

For those looking to check out a bar or night club in the evening, Regina's Old Warehouse district is the place to be.

Sleep

• HI-Regina Turgeon International Hostel, 2310 McIntyre St, ☎ +1 306 791-8165, fax: +1 306 721-2667. Regina's only backpackers' hostel is in an historic home near Wascana Centre. Beds start at $20.50.
• The Dragon's Nest. In the Cathedral Village neighbourhood is in a beautifully restored century home. Its proprietors are feng shui experts who also run retreats on their property.
• Country Fare Bed and Breakfast, 243 Markwell Drive, ☎ +1-866-448-7378.
• RiseNShine Bed and Breakfast, 6403 Sherwood Dr, ☎ +1 306-543-3165.
• Creekside Terrace, 2724 Angus Blvd, ☎ +1 306-569-2682.
• Super 8 Motel, 2730 Victoria Ave E, ☎ +1 306-789-8833.
• Days Inn Regina, 3875 Eastgate Dr. E, ☎ +1 306-522-3297. Close to downtown, this hotel features guestrooms and suites, a pool, high-speed internet, and a fitness facility.
• Regina Inn Hotel and Conference Centre, 1975 Broad St, ☎ +1 306-525-6767. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. The Regina Inn Hotel is in downtown. Featuring 235 spacious guest rooms and over 20,000 sq ft. of meeting space, incl. a theatre-style room which can hold 600 people. $110.
• Sandman Hotel Suites and Spa, 1800 Victoria Avenue East, ☎ +1 306-757-2444.
• Delta Regina Hotel, 1919 Saskatchewan Drive, ☎ +1 306-525-5255.
• Ramada Hotel and Convention Centre, 1818 Victoria Avenue, ☎ +1 306-569-1666.
• Best Western Seven Oaks, 777 Albert St (Regina Saskatchewan), ☎ +1 306 575-0121. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11:30AM. Located 10 minutes from Regina’s International Airport and 5 minutes from downtown Regina. 157 guest rooms, including 5 suites that feature extra room. Indoor heated swimming pool and 240-foot water slide. Ricky’s Restaurant and Lounge on site. $125.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet usage is wide-spread in Canada. Wi-fi is available in many locations in larger cities, sometimes free and sometimes at a cost. You will find Wi-Fi in coffee stores, some restaurants and also hotels and motels more and more offer this service for free, but with a code usually. Internet cafes are common along major streets, and and in larger cities, charge between $3 and $4 for an hour, usually in 20-minute increments.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Canada is: 1. To make an international call from Canada, the code is: 011. Emergency services can be reached by dialling 911. This number will give you free access to Police, Fire and Ambulance services and can be used from landlines, phone booths and cell phones.

The populous areas of Canada along the border with the USA have excellent cellular and wired telecommunications, meaning that travellers are never fair from an international phone call home, a WIFI connection or an internet cafe. Depending on the mobile phone provider, coverage could be either CDMA and GSM coverage. Travellers wishing to purchase SIM cards for GSM phones should look for Rogers Wireless, Telus Mobility and Bell Mobility, which all offer nationwide availability.

Post

Postal service is provided by Canada Post, a crown corporation owned by the government but run as an independent business. Most post offices keep hours from 9:00am to 5:00pm though in bigger places longer hourse might be available.

To format the envelope of a letter sent within Canada, put the destination address on the centre of its envelope, with a stamp, postal indicia, meter label, or frank mark on the top-right corner of the envelope to acknowledge payment of postage. A return address, although it is not required, can be put on the top-left corner of the envelope in smaller type than the destination address.

The lettermail service allows the mailing of a letter. The basic rate is currently set at $0.63 for one standard letter (30 grams or less). The rates for lettermail are based or weight and size and determine whether the article falls into the aforementioned standard format, or in the oversize one. The rate is the same for a postcard. Mail sent internationally is known as letterpost. It can only contain paper documents. The rate for a standard letter is of $1.10 if sent to the United States, and $1.85 if sent to any other destination. Oversize or overweight letters may be charged a higher fee. Larger parcels can be shipped via Canada post both domestically and internationally, the rate is dependent on the weight and destination. ^[1]

Federal Express, TNT, UPS or DHL also provide interntional shipping from Canada and are usually very quick and reliable though might cost a little more compared to Canada Post.

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