Group prepares referendum drive over Saskatoon’s proposed downtown arena

A group led by retired arena manager Ken Wood is preparing to challenge Saskatoon’s proposed $1.2 billion Downtown Event and Entertainment District with a referendum campaign. Wood announced the effort on Aug. 21 and launched voteondeed.ca to provide information about the petition.

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Right now, we’re concentrating on volunteers. We’re thinking that is going to be key, getting out there, door to door

The campaign is now focused on recruiting volunteers. Wood, a former chief executive of Credit Union Centre, said nearly 100 people have offered to canvass door to door. Once the petition begins, organizers will have 90 days to collect signatures from 10% of eligible voters. Based on city information, they need 26,615 valid signatures.

If the threshold is reached, organizers must submit the petition to the city clerk within 90 days after the first signature is collected. A referendum would then have to take place within nine months. Wood said the group was still working with lawyers on the wording of the ballot question and expected to know as soon as the following week when the petition would launch.

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a non-starter

Wood argues that renovating SaskTel Centre could cost far less than the proposed project. He rejects the idea that the existing venue must be upgraded to National Hockey League standards, calling that approach “a non-starter.” Block sees the choice differently. She says Saskatoon must decide whether to spend heavily maintaining aging infrastructure or invest in a new facility that could attract events requiring a higher roof, including shows that might otherwise go to Regina.

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We will be making a significant investment in one of two things: taking care of the infrastructure we already own, which will be expensive, or investing in new infrastructure that we will own

In July, the provincial government said it would match federal funding up to one-third of the project’s eligible cost. The article ends before providing further details on that funding arrangement.

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The roof of the building has to be higher, or we can’t attract a lot of the events that a lot of cities are going to be able to attract, including, probably, Regina