The shovels are in the ground, marking the beginning of constructing of another fire station in Regina. This time, in one of the fastest growing neighbourhoods, The Greens on Gardiner.

City and fire officials say Fire Station 8 is needed to keep up with the area’s rapid growth and increasing call volume.

“In this area, we see little hotspots for incidents, and we are seeing some frequency of calls out here,” said Chief Layne Jackson. “A main concern for us is really the amount of time it takes and the geographic side of it.”

The new fire hall will be built at the corner of Chuka Boulevard and Primrose Green Drive, roughly seven minutes away from Station 5. Officials say it will help cut response times and expand emergency coverage across the east side.

“The travel times from that station to here are quite significant now,” said Jackson. “So we know fires will start small, but if we don’t intervene, they grow quite large. Once this station comes online, we’re going to redesign our fire station districts. And of course, it’s gonna it’s going to take over.”

Planning for the new hall dates back to 2021 as part of Regina’s Fire Master Plan. Station 8 will serve The Greens, along with The Creeks and Aurora, and will be located right across from École Wascana Plains.

It will be right across from Ecole Wascana Plains, making potential field trips an easy option.

“I’m sure that our firefighters are very excited to have tour after tour coming by to visit and I think the school is as well. I think it’s a great partnership with the community.” said Mayor Chad Bachynski.

“We have a strong public education program, and we’re in the schools all the time,” said Jackson. “The firefighters are in the schools teaching fire and life safety to the children to help them grow up and be safe, prevent emergencies and prevent accidents. It’s just phenomenal that we’re close by and that we can be a reassuring presence in the neighborhood, both for the school and the rest of the neighborhood.”

Station 8 will be Regina’s first new fire hall since 2010. Construction is set to ramp up next month, with completion expected in early 2027.