Former Saskatoon arena CEO calls for democratic voices in Downtown Event and Entertainment District plans

The former CEO of SaskPlace and Credit Union Centre is calling for a referendum on the plans for Saskatoon’s new Downtown Event and Entertainment District (DEED).

Ken Wood announced the launch of the website, voteondeed.ca, on Tuesday in front of the Modern Erratic art installations at Diefenbaker Park. Wood noted during the news conference that the installation represented a civic expenditure.

Wood called the website the “first phase of a citizen-led effort to secure a referendum” on the DEED.

Read more:

• Premier Scott Moe pushing Ottawa to help fund three event centre projects in Saskatchewan
• Saskatoon City Council approves Muskeg Lake Cree Nation DEED negotiations
• City administration seeks approval to negotiate DEED partnership

At the Tuesday news conference, Wood explained that residents can require the city to hold a referendum by submitting a valid petition signed by eligible voters totalling 10 per cent of the city’s population. Wood said that amounts to about 26,700 signatures, per a figure he said was provided by a clerk with the City of Saskatoon.

An official petition’s collection period begins when the first signature is collected, allowing 90 days for those signatures to be collected. Wood said the website is a different approach, calling it an “advance commitment” for the petition, for when a formal campaign is started.

“The first phase will tell us whether there is enough support across Saskatoon to launch a successful citywide petition,” Wood said.

“Strong initial registration will be critical. It will help us recruit volunteers, organize neighbourhood canvassing, and determine whether we are ready to begin the demanding 90-day campaign.”

Wood said that whatever someone’s position on the DEED is, “a public expenditure and commitment of this magnitude deserves the direct consent of Saskatoon taxpayers.”

Courtney Saliken, who ran in the 2024 municipal election as a candidate for Ward 4, said the fundamental focus of the website is to “ensure the people of Saskatoon have a direct voice in a decision of this magnitude on what stands to be the largest and most consequential project in our city’s history.

“Public input should not be an afterthought; it should be the foundation,” Saliken said.

Courtney Saliken speaks with Henry Chan to his right and Ken Wood to his left in front of the Modern Erratic art installation at Diefenbaker Park on Aug. 11, 2026. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)

He said the DEED has proven to consistently be a pressing and divisive topic in Saskatoon among residents, which he said reinforces the need for a public vote.

“Saskatoon has a history of putting major decisions directly to the public via referendum, from the decision of the (location of the) current SaskTel Centre, to the downtown casino proposal, to name a few,” Saliken noted.

“Given the unprecedented scope and financial commitment of this project, it is reasonable to ask why this wasn’t put to a public vote earlier.”

Both Saliken and Wood are critical of the DEED, though they stated that all viewpoints and opinions will be welcomed, should public interest lead to a referendum on the project.

Saskatoon West Business Association chairman Henry Chan, said he just wants to see the democratic process honoured.

“There is a deep, somewhat tragic reality in asking hardworking residents, many of whom will never in their lifetime contemplate buying a $300 event ticket, to shoulder the long-term tax burden of a facility that they may never step a foot in,” Chan said, noting that dollars are already thinly stretched in many Saskatoon homes with rising costs on groceries, utilities and mortgage payments.

“If it’s good, people can vote that way. If it’s bad, people can also vote that way. But it’s also a matter of ensuring that people get a voice on this,” Chan said.

Karen Kobussen, who also ran in the 2024 municipal election and attended Tuesday’s news event as a concerned citizen, signed up at the website immediately after the event concluded. She said the process didn’t require much information and only took her about 30 seconds.

“I’m definitely in support of the democratic process, and I just think that there has not been overly-clear information as to financing, as to long-term implications potentially,” Kobussen said.

Saskatoon resident Karen Kobussen speaks in support of public consultation on the Downtown Event and Entertainment District for Saskatoon, after a news conference at Diefenbaker Park on Aug. 11, 2026. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)

“I just want my kids and my grandkids to be able to not bear a burden of something that we decide today that might … be negatively affecting them. So I just really truly believe that the people need to vote on this, for sure.”

Kobussen also voiced concerns about the information known about the new arena to date, noting a lack of information about an anchor tenant, in the form of Saskatoon’s sports teams, who would regularly use the new facility, and that naming rights have not yet been solidified.

She also said knowing the outcome of whether federal funding might be put toward the project would impact her perspective of next steps on the project.

“We definitely need to have a few of those guarantees and go from there,” she said.

Wood said he hopes to have an answer on how he will proceed in the process towards a referendum within a few weeks, based on the volume of responses he receives through the website.

He believes Saskatoon’s city council has not been completely forthright throughout the DEED process.

“SaskTel is in tremendous condition,” Wood commented. “It can move forward in its current state and host all the events that it is now. It hasn’t missed any events. It is not an NHL standard building, but it’s the third best non-NHL facility in all of Canada.

“Cities larger than us would love to have this facility.”

650 CKOM has reached out to the City of Saskatoon for comment on the call for a referendum.