REGINA - The Lakeshore Mall, located in the Hillsdale neighbourhood of Regina, was a staple for many residents to eat and shop for decades. Now, the mall, once located at the corner of 23rd Avenue and Hillsdale Street, is no more.
Recently, developers started the demolition of the mall after plans to redevelop the land began in 2013.
The mall impacted many in the local community, including Ron Boychuk, a long-time worker at the IGA grocery store located in the mall.
Boychuk worked at the store for 30 years, starting out when he was turning 16 years old. He described what it was like to work in the local community's grocery store.
"We [IGA] had a great base and a friendly base, and we got to know so many customers by name, and they just enjoyed the experience of shopping. There were so many things in the mall, like the pharmacy, the dentist, the doctor [and] the bank. It [the Lakeshore Mall] was something that [a] community like this needs."
He eventually stopped working at the grocery store in 2007 due to the grocery store leaving the mall, ending his 30-year tenure with the company. Boychuk believes the owners of IGA and the owners of Lakeshore Mall did not see eye-to-eye on its future.
The tension could have played a factor in IGA leaving the mall, but Boychuk said he is not certain of this. IGA currently has one store located near Regina in Emerald Park.
With the closing of many small businesses from the Lakeshore Mall redevelopment, Boychuk is concerned about how Regina is developing infrastructure. He said the city's southeast end is developing housing and large infrastructure spaces for shopping. This leads to big box stores occupying the spaces.
He added people are forced to drive to different areas to get groceries or products instead of shopping locally. He feels this hurts small businesses and takes away from people who rely on the mom-and-pop shops.
In terms of the development process for the new mall, Boychuk feels it took way too long to figure out the new mall's plans.
The new mall called "The Vue at Lakeshore" will have multiple buildings occupying the old land where Lakeshore Mall stood.
Boychuk, who is on the Roberts Plaza board, a high-rise condominium located across the intersection from the new mall, has heard from the developers that they are planning to complete the first building of The Vue by fall 2025.
He broke down the potential plans for the first phase of the mall and what could come next.
"A first section of about six smaller businesses to be on the corner [of the land] as kind of the beginning phase one."
He added, "a year or two down the line. There's a building to be constructed that is more of the hub, which would be maybe a smaller grocery [store and or a] pharmacy." There is a possibility condos could be added to the site, too, according to Boychuk.
He believes residents of Hillsdale will be happy with the results and have a new place to shop at their doorsteps.
