Regina library pays author up to $35,000 a year to work on personal projects while seeking tax hike

Subhead:The Regina Public Library has argued the program provides mentorship opportunities and helps support literary development, while critics argue it's part of an ever-increasing tax grab.# The Regina Public Library is paying an established author up to $35,000 annually through a Writer-in-Residence program that allows much of the recipient's time to be spent working on personal writing projects, according to documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. The program cost taxpayers $35,240 in 2024 and $33,204 in 2025. According to the library's own description , the Writer-in-Residence program is intended to provide advice and assistance to local writers while also allowing the selected author to devote time to a specific writing project. Under the terms of the program, the writer is required to spend at least 16 hours per week fulfilling public-facing duties, including reading manuscripts and meeting with aspiring writers in Regina. The remainder of the writer's work time can be devoted to personal projects. Records obtained by the CTF show the writer averaged 15 consultation meetings per month during the 2024-25 term and 7.8 meetings per month during the current 2025-26 term.

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