Housing issues the talk of Regina today

Housing issues will be the talk of the town in the city of Regina Tuesday.

The 2014 Mayors Housing Summit is set for the Delta Regina Hotel, on Saskatchewan Drive, with opening remarks from Michael Fougere at 8:15 a.m. CST in the Trentino/Tuscany room.

The mayor's initiative was created in 2013, when it was noted the city was facing a housing crunch.

At the time, Fougere said work needs to be done on the city's low vacancy rate, which had put a squeeze on many people looking for a place.

The first summit took place in May 2013. It led to the creation of new housing committee at city hall.

Also on Tuesday, during the noon hour in front of the Delta Hotel, in what has been dubbed an Alternative Housing Summit, concerned citizens plan to address the media and offer their views on affordable housing.

The issues of housing and community planning has been on the minds of many in Regina, especially as the city has been working on issues relating to proposal for new developments.

There are plans in the works for large new neighbourhoods, for thousands of people, in city's northwest and southwest areas.

"I think people are looking for a balance," Shanie Leugner, the acting director of city planning for Regina, told CBC News, when asked about the new suburban plans. "Regina is still a relatively small city and it's not feasible to not have any green field development in order to accommodate the population."