CFL head urges Regina to halt Mosaic Stadium turf changes
Nov 14, 2026
The Saskatchewan Roughriders season may be over,
but Mosaic Stadium is now the site of a brewing dispute between
the city of Regina and the Canadian Football League.
Painting is not that difficult,
and I think painting future-proofs your field.
The CFL is moving to new field dimensions in 2027.
The changes include a 100-yard field, 15-yard end zones,
and goal posts at the back of those end zones.
Speaking on Friday, CFL Commissioner Stuart Johnson...
Highlighted that eight of the nine teams in the league
are using fields that will have the new dimensions painted on.
And he took aim at the city of Regina
and its decision to have Mosaic Stadium be the only CFL stadium
to permanently stitch the new dimensions into its turf.
And so I would urge the city, with the support of the Rough Riders,
to consider moving back to a painted field.
It's a decision that will limit the ability
of amateur football teams like the Regina Rams
and Regina Thunder to use the field
because those teams still use the 110-yard field setup.
The City of Regina has said using
a fully painted turf would have required approximately $260,000
in new painting equipment as well as $5,500 in materials
and labor each time the configuration of the field changes.
That would have worked out to about $55,000 a year.
But City Councilor David Froh says the biggest factor was time.
Because the Riders practice at Mosaic Stadium,
if the Riders are practicing until 3, 4 p.m.
and there would need to be a high school game
or a Thunder game as an example.
The lines wouldn't dry in time.
Froh says city staff have done a good job with a bad situation.
Mayor Chad Byszynski weighed
in on Johnston's comments Friday afternoon.
The city is disappointed that the CFL commissioner chose
to publicly criticize the city's approach at Grey Cup week
rather than raising these concerns during the extensive
consultation process that occurred over the past six months.
The new turf is set to be ready for next year's home opener.
Alexander Kwan, CBC News, Regina.