City seeks delay of downtown arena project to wait out tariff turbulence, federal election

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 04, 2025 9:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Saskatoon metropolis hallway wants to dilatory down improvement of its cardinal dollar downtown arena project.

A study going to a metropolis assembly committee adjacent week recommends delaying the support of an statement with the backstage spouse selected to run a caller downtown arena and normal centre, the cardinal portion of a revitalization program for the metropolis centre.

The study cites tariff tit-for-tats, provincial procurement policies and a national predetermination arsenic reasons to hold the downtown arena and amusement territory project.

Long-term readying is hard nether those conditions, said Dan Willems, the city's method director. The metropolis has not secured backing to physique the arena, but is counting connected national dollars.

"Getting this national predetermination done and a caller authorities successful spot past allows our metropolis councillors and politician to begin those discussions with their governmental counterparts to effort and beforehand that lobbying and hopefully unafraid backing for the project," Willems said successful an interview.

Last year, the metropolis chose Oak View Group (OVG), a U.S.-based amusement installation absorption company, arsenic its backstage spouse to run the arena and caller normal centre. OVG is to supply $170 cardinal for operation costs nether the tentative 25-year work agreement.

The 2 sides finished negotiating an "agreement framework" successful December, but the woody hasn't been approved by metropolis council.

"Whether there's immoderate antagonistic tariffs oregon caller tariffs that mightiness interaction this work statement and alteration the dynamics of the financials, there's immoderate fig of things that could happen," Willems said. "But we conscionable don't cognize what those mightiness be. So we request immoderate time."

Ward 6 Coun. Jasmin Parker represents the downtown core. In a statement, Parker emphasised that the hold is conscionable astir the backstage concern with OVG, not the full downtown project.

"In the existent economical clime with the ever-changing tariffs and resulting procurement direction, and without afloat knowing however these factors whitethorn interaction the city's statement with OVG, medication is recommending that we intermission this singular portion of the process," Parker said successful the statement.

The metropolis won't look fiscal penalties for delaying the agreement, according to the report.

The governance and priorities committee meets April 9 astatine 9:30 a.m. CST astatine metropolis hall.

Downtown debate

The propulsion to bring an arena backmost to Saskatoon's downtown has been going connected for decades.

In 1989, erstwhile the Saskatoon Arena connected 19th Street E. downtown was demolished, the metropolis built Sask Place — present called SaskTel Centre — successful Saskatoon's northbound end to instrumentality its place. Since then, the downtown arena statement has persisted.

In 2016, the metropolis took up the origin aft learning that some TCU Place successful the downtown and SaskTel Centre were "nearing the extremity of their utile life."

Since then, Saskatoon has inched toward a caller downtown area, mounting up an advisory committee and buying onshore successful the area.

This past winter, the metropolis unveiled its plan concepts for the district, with colourful renderings showing a transformed 22nd Street, implicit with abstraction for pop-up markets and an crystal rink successful the winter.

In 2018, a study commissioned by Saskatoon also suggested that the caller territory would make important economical spinoff.