Saskatoon residents eyeing petition on downtown event centre project

A group of Saskatoon residents, spearheaded by Ken Wood, the former chief executive officer of the SaskTel Centre, is exploring the possibility of launching a petition to put the city's proposed Downtown Event and Entertainment District (DEED) project to a public referendum. Wood has initiated a website, voteondeed.ca, to gather commitments from residents interested in signing the formal petition once the campaign begins.

The DEED project has been under development for several years, aiming to transform a section of Saskatoon's downtown core into a hub for commerce, tourism, entertainment, and nightlife. While not yet ready for construction, the project has recently been the subject of significant discussions, including the city's agreement in June to enter negotiations with the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation for a potential partnership. A memorandum of understanding between the two parties was signed later that month.

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This is not the official petition. It is an advanced commitment to sign the paper petition when the formal campaign begins.

Wood stated that the initiative is not yet the official petition but serves as an advanced commitment to sign. He emphasized that a project of this magnitude, involving substantial public expenditure, warrants the direct consent of Saskatoon's taxpayers. "Whatever one’s position on the proposed project, a public expenditure and commitment of this magnitude deserves the direct consent of Saskatoon taxpayers," Wood told reporters.

According to Saskatchewan's The Cities Act, launching a referendum requires a petition signed by 10% of the city's population, which amounts to 26,615 valid signatures in Saskatoon. The petition must be submitted to the city clerk within 90 days of the first signature, and if valid, the referendum must occur within nine months. This move echoes past citizen actions in Saskatoon, including a successful petition in 1986 that led to a vote approving the current location of the SaskTel Centre, and a 1994 referendum that rejected a downtown casino project.

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Whatever one’s position on the proposed project, a public expenditure and commitment of this magnitude deserves the direct consent of Saskatoon taxpayers.