Evan Bray: Rain, rain don't go away - but come again another day
Evan Bray says his grandfather was a farmer who always told him to never complain about the rain. However, the much-need...
The former CEO of SaskPlace and Credit Union Centre has announced Phase 2 of a campaign to garner support for a referendum on the plans for Saskatoon’s new Downtown Event and Entertainment District (DEED).
Ken Wood said the petition launched with fellow Saskatoon residents Courtney Saliken and Henry Chan would force Saskatoon City Council to hold a referendum and the group will begin collecting signatures from Sept. 12.
Read more:
- Saskatoon City Council approves Muskeg Lake Cree Nation DEED negotiations
- Saskatoon council rejects proposed manager for downtown entertainment district
- Downtown entertainment complex should consider ‘local’ says Saskatoon mayor
“The resolution Saskatoon citizens will be asked to support is that the City of Saskatoon discontinue the proposed downtown arena component of the Downtown Event and Entertainment District and cease all further planning, design, procurement, development and construction activities related to the proposed arena,” he said.
Wood called the campaign a historic undertaking, but also a challenging one — the group will be forced to collect close to 30,000 signatures in the span of just 90 days.
Wood said the group, with help from volunteers and those who registered at voteondeed.ca, will be responsible for collecting signatures.
“We will be contacting those who have signed up there, providing each household with a 12-line petition form. We will ask them to sign it and, if possible, collect additional signatures from family members, friends and acquaintances. Even one or two extra signatures will help. But we hope many people will complete the entire form,” he said.
The group plans to hold its first volunteer recruitment and training session on Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. at the auditorium at the Alice Turner Library.
“There are many ways to help. You can canvass a few streets in your neighbourhood, collect signatures from friends and acquaintances, collect signatures within your condominium or apartment complex, or work at petition-signing tables at a fixed location.
“You do not need to make a huge commitment. Every volunteer, every completed form, every valid signature will move us closer to giving Saskatoon citizens the vote they deserve,” said Wood.
Chan, who co-chairs the group, said the arena may benefit some but for the vast majority of Saskatoon residents, it comes up short.
“You’re going to have people paying for this — whether it’s through federal or provincial or municipal tax — that are never going to use the facility,” he said.
Wood said the arena doesn’t make sense from a business or economic perspective.
“The bottom line is there is no business case to bring the arena downtown. There is no lift in tourism that would warrant such a huge expenditure,” he said.
Wood said upgrading SaskTel Centre could be a more affordable alternative if the right parameters are put in place.
“We have a fantastic facility. It serves us well. One of the top three in Canada.
“There are very easy and practical things that can be done. For example, on the east side of the lower bowl, those risers are still on metal; they’re not used anymore. That was back in the day when we did trade shows. Those bleachers could be replaced with a cement structure.
“Then underneath, you could build luxury green rooms to keep some of the modern stars happy with the amenities there. You could get the offices out of the front area and enlarge the lobby. Doing a full circular expansion, it’s just impractical,” he said.
— with files from CKOM News
Read more:
