In Raj Dhunna’s eyes, the City of Edmonton is a pot that is calling the kettle black.

Dhunna is the CEO of Regency Developments, which owns the site of the old Bank of Montreal Building at 101 Street and 102 Avenue. Five years ago, Regency’s plan to build a 50-storey tower was ready to go. The building permits were signed, sealed and delivered. The mixed residential and commercial plan, along with a hotel, was approved by the city. Most of the bank building was demolished in 2018.

But, then came COVID, the massive inflation spike and the global supply-chain crisis. It was no longer feasible to build the tower, and Dhunna said a smaller scale project would not recoup the cost of the land.

So, the lot has stood empty. And, this week, it became the source of a public survey issued by the C

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