A brief history of the area can be found in the opening section of the Cathedral Area Neighbourhood Plan, which was conducted back in 1988. This plan was a joint effort of the City of Regina and the Cathedral Area Community Association - one of the many instances where members of our community co-operated with the city on various projects.

The Cathedral area is a 235 hectare residential area located immediately to the west of Regina's downtown. Boundaries of the neighbourhood include Albert Street on the east, Wascana Creek to the south and west, and the CPR mainline on the north. While the area is primarily residential, commercial businesses are found on the north and eastern boundaries, as well as along the 13th Avenue shopping district.

The Cathedral area was one of the earliest and most affluent residential neighbourhoods to be developed in the city. In 1912, Holy Rosary Cathedral was built on 13th Avenue, and this is where the area got its name. The city introduced its first zoning bylaw in 1927, and this set patterns for land use which continue in the area today.

As time passed, additions to zoning bylaws allowed for higher density housing to be built in certain areas of the neighbourhood. Apartments and parking lots began to replace the older housing stock throughout the area, particularly nearer to Albert Street.

By the 1970s, the area suffered from typical inner city neighbourhood problems such as declining population, decreasing quality and quantity of housing stock, increasing crime and social problems, more car traffic and less parking space.

A group of Cathedral Area neighbours got together in 1975, just planning to organize a few local recreation programs. Soon they began to realize the potential of people within the neighbourhood to effect change and help to improve conditions. In March 1976, at a public meeting in Westminster United Church, they officially incorporated as the Cathedral Area Community Association.

Founding members of the association foresaw the need for CACA to play a leadership role in planning and development issues, advocacy, information dissemination and the provision of high quality community and social services. The founders rolled up their sleeves and went to work building bridges between various government agencies and Cathedral residents.

It wasn't long before conditions began to improve. Joint municipal, provincial, and federal programs such as RRAP (Residential Rehabilitation Program), Infill Housing, and Neighbourhood Improvement Area helped to control the spread of non-residential and high-density housing into the Cathedral area. A large number of older homes received extensive renovations and the demographics of the area changed. In fact, our area has the highest household income levels of all the inner city neighbourhoods.

Over the years Cathedral residents, working together with the Community Association and the city of Regina, have done a lot of good things. In fact, city managers often use CACA as an example of an organization that is focussed, co-operative, and effective in working with various interest groups and the city to ensure the area continues to steadily improve.

Currently, CACA consists of 12 board members who form various committees including the Recreation Community, the Planning Advisory Committee, the Public Art Committee, the Intergenerational Events Committee, the Human Rights Park Committee, the Community Garden, and the Community Computers Project.

The CACA has secured a Social Development from the City of Regina to hire three part-time staff members to interact with the public and help facilitate the delivery of various programs. Recognizing that the needs of the people within our Community have changed and evolved in the last 25 years, in the Spring of 2001, with the assistance of Lorna Tyler of the United Way through the City of Regina's Community Support Program, we held a Future Search Conference to redefine the vision for our community. Over 30 people from CACA, local schools and churches, Connaught Library, service delivery agencies, and local residents worked over two days to develop a new Statement of Purpose and Mission Statement for the Association.

Our mission statement is:

The CACA dedicates its energy and volunteers to keeping the Cathedral Area a vibrant neighbourhood with a hometown feel and a rich sense of community.

The CACA fulfills its purpose by:

-identifying and responding to community needs
-linking community needs with appropriate resources
-engaging in ongoing dialogue with the community
-providing leadership and vision to the community
-advocating for and with the community
-being financially responsible

It's a rare day when a resident in our neighbourhood doesn't visit 13th Avenue. It's the hub of a lot of neighbourhood activity. We close 13th Avenue down during the Cathedral Village Arts Festival to hold our Craft Fair. People from all over the province come by the tens of thousands to walk the street and purchase the wares of over 200 craftspeople. Hundreds of volunteers from all over the neighbourhood have a lot of fun making it all happen. Businesses who have contributed to the community for many years and advertise in our community newsletter, the Village Voice, are situated on both sides of 13th Avenue.

As part of our visioning process, 13th Avenue has been described as the Village Main Street. Ideally people want to see power lines buried, the street transformed into a pedestrian mall, reduced traffic flow, and the formation of an innovative and bustling Business Association. We're working with the city to upgrade 13th Avenue, and in the next five years, new street furniture, planters, and lighting will be installed.