Queen City Distillers leads $70 million Regina entertainment project

Regina is launching a 70 million dollar entertainment district investment led by Queen City Distillers to counter regional entertainment flight to cities like Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Edmonton, ici.radio-canada.ca reported. The project will create over 200 jobs and unfold across six new consumer destinations, a brewery, and a distillery with the first spaces slated to open next spring.

Breaking Down the 70 Million Dollar Investment

The capital injection is divided into two primary allocations. A sum of 45 million dollars will fund a dedicated entertainment destination comprising six establishments including bars, restaurants, a liquor store, and a performance venue. An additional 25 million dollars is earmarked for a brewery and distillery situated at the Centre Avana within the Real District, positioning the project as the second-largest brewery and the largest distillery in Saskatchewan.

Property owner Shaun Semple explained the motivation behind the massive regional development to ici.radio-canada.ca, noting that residents have grown accustomed to leaving the city for entertainment. “We have resigned ourselves to having to go elsewhere to discover things,” Semple stated. “In Saskatoon, in Winnipeg, in Calgary, or in Edmonton. Why? Why can’t we do it here?”

The Jack Venue Honors Guitarist Jack Semple

Among the central features of the development is The Jack, a two-story performance venue with a 1,550-person capacity named after Regina-born Juno Award-winning guitarist Jack Semple. In a statement provided to ici.radio-canada.ca, the musician reflected on the city's changing architecture and layout. “When I started out, Regina did not lack places where musicians could perform,” Jack Semple wrote. “These opportunities helped shape my career and that of many Saskatchewan artists. Even though the talent has always been present here, many of these stages have disappeared over the years.”

The multi-venue project also incorporates a sports bar named The Draft Room, an Italian farm-to-table restaurant called Bellaterra, and a specialty liquor store carrying 12,000 bottles. Operations at the initial cluster of social venues are scheduled to begin next spring.