Wascana park architect booted from review committee after not approving Conexus building

Len Novak says he was "terminated" last June from the Wascana Park Architectural Advisory Committee (AAC) after he and the other committee member refused to even consider a proposal fromConexusCredit Union to build its head office in the park.

He said they wouldn't consider the project because it didn't conform to the established uses for buildings in the park.

"We continually and consistently advised that they were proceeding improperly with the Conexus proposal," Novak said.

The two-personcommittee was dismissed on June 4, 2018. The very next day Conexus announced it was starting to cut down and relocate trees in the park, sparkingshock and protest. Novak said he was stunned.

"We're talking precious oldWascanapark. I just think it was, what are the words, presumptuous arrogant to to take a step like that," he said.

In an emailto CBC, Conexus said it began this work with the approval of the Provincial Capital Commission (PCC), which runs the park.

The Conexus project is slated to house hundreds of head office workers.

According to park rules, the AAC must be consulted prior to approving developments.Novak, an Alberta-based landscape architect, served on the committee for 14 years.

Novaksaid the committee, composed ofhim and B.C. architect John Wall, put their refusal of the Conexus proposal and their rationalein writing.

"We probably forced our termination because we refused to play," saidNovak.

Novak said heand Wall were dismissed from the committee byemail.

He said he was told "it was their intention to refresh the membership of their committees."

A new committee was appointed that same day. Six weeks late,on July 16, 2018, the AAC recommended approval of the Conexus project.

'We wouldn't deal with it'

According to the Wascana Centre master plan, the park is preserved exclusively for five purposes: acting as the seat of government and promoting education, culture, recreation and the environment.

Novak said a corporate head office for a financial institution "has nothing do to do with the function of the park."

"We said we considered the proposal to be invalid without an amendment to the master plan and therefore we would be wrong to review the particulars of the architectural scheme that was presented," Novak said in a telephone interview with CBC's iTeam. "We wouldn't deal with it."

He said the committee had learned from previous experience that reviewing a project committee membersthought dubious could be interpreted as tacit approval.

In October 2014, Novak and his fellow committee members reviewed the Brandt and CNIB proposal to build a four-storey office building. The committee instantly determined the proposed uses of the building didn't conform to the master plan.

But Novak said that the Brandt project seemed "to get legs under it" just bybeing reviewed.

With the Conexus project, they refused to even look at it.

"We felt that if we began to review the planning and design of the building that would that it would indicate our agreement with it possibly becoming a reality," said Novak.

University asked for an exception

In a public consultation about the Conexus project on June 16, 2016, University of Regina president Vianne Timmons acknowledged the proposed building is "non-conforming" to the Wascana Park master plan.

She wanted an exception because Conexus agreed to use 15,000 square feet of its 80,000 square foot project for a "business incubator" partnership with the university. The U of R argued this would make the project qualify because it's promoting education one of Wascana's five pillars.

Conexus CEO Eric Dillon offered his own argument in that same meeting.

"We believe that there's little material difference in terms of use between a professor working in an office in College Avenue Campus with a Conexus professional working in a very similar office," Dillon said.

In addition, Timmons said that Conexus was offering a much-needed donation of up to $8.25 million for renovations on the university's College Avenue Campus. The university wouldn't get that donation if the head office project didn't go ahead.

Those arguments didn't sway Novak. He said the incubator "is a relatively secondary or minor element. That's not [the building's] principal purpose."

Outside architects preserved AAC independence: former park CEO

In anemailto CBC, the provincial government saidNovakand Wall were dismissed because the PCC had decided to go with an all-Saskatchewan review committee.

Theemailsaid "the rationale being that there are many talented architects in our province that can provide guidance forWascanaCentre closer to home."

This was a major departure from previous practice.

Bernadette McIntyre, former CEO of the Wascana Centre Authority which ran the park until 2017, said that since the founding of Wascana Centre in 1962 the AAC had always been made up architects from outside of Saskatchewan.

She said this was done to maintain the independence of their advice.

"That was to ensure that these professionals were free to give their professional critiques of what landowners may want to develop on their land within Wascana Centre," McIntyre told CBC.

She said most of the work done in the park involved Saskatchewan architects, so having a review committee from outside the province would mean "they weren't critiquing somebody they may want to get work from or that they may be working with in the future."

McIntyre said it gave the committee a more free voice when reviewing projects involving the provincial government.

Former AAC interim chair Fred Valentine agreed.

"That would be very difficult for a professional who is resident in Saskatchewan to cause any kind of aggressive direction to the government," he said. "Clearly it would jeopardize their career and their stream of work."

Valentine served on the committee with Novak for years until he resigned in protest in April 2017. He said the Brandt/CNIB project was being pushed forward against the advice of the AAC.

He saidSaskatchewan being a small provincewith relatively few architects means, "it would be inevitable that there would be a conflict."

He said that on the one hand, a Saskatchewan architect may work for a firm with a proposal before the review committee, which would be difficult. On the other hand, the committee could be considering a proposal from the architect's competition.

"There's every opportunity to stall a project or to present hurdles that are unachievable or, you know, present the proposal in a in a bad light causing doubt and concern and so on," he said.

Valentine acknowledged that on the surface, appointing Saskatchewan architects might seem to make sense because they would be most familiar with the park and its value, but said park officials went to great lengths to ensure that all committee members were very familiar with the park and its diverse geography, including offering multiple onsite visits.

Novak's said he didn't even need that because he grew up in Regina and spent many hours in the park.

"That land that was my wild playground when I was a boy I have a huge fondness for it," he said.

In a news conference Wednesday, CBC asked Ken Cheveldayoff, the minister responsible for the PCC, if he knew the reason why the AAC has historically had architects who were not from Saskatchewan.

"I don't know why it was that way at the time. But I'm more comfortable with the situation now," he said.

Cheveldayoff said Saskatchewan is a mature province with a lot of good architects and that, because they live here, "they're closer to the wants and needs" of Saskatchewan people.

In addition, the minister defended the entire process of project review saying "something we don't discuss enough is how rigorous this process is."

AAC comings and goings

On June 4, 2018, the government-run Provincial Capital Commission appointed three new architects to the AAC: David Edwards, Derek Kindrachuk and Genevieve Russell.

On July 9, Russell resigned from the committee. It's not clear why. On July 16, the remaining two members approved the design of the Conexus project.

In December, the PCC added a new member, Lloyd Isaak, to the AAC.

Thecommittee is nowreviewing the detailed architectural plans for the building Brandt and CNIBare trying to build in the park.