Group prepares push for referendum on proposed downtown arena in Saskatoon

Saskatoon residents may soon have the opportunity to vote on a proposed $1.2 billion downtown arena, according to a retired arena manager named Ken Wood. Wood announced his plans to organize a referendum on the proposed Downtown Event and Entertainment District on Aug. 21, and launched voteondeed.ca to gather petition signatures.

Nearly 100 volunteers have offered to canvass the city, with a goal of collecting 26,615 valid signatures from eligible voters within 90 days. If the group successfully gathers the required signatures, they would need to present the petition to the city clerk within 90 days of the first signature. A referendum would then need to take place within nine months.

Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block sees the referendum as more than just a simple "yes" or "no" question about the project. Block argues that the city needs to consider investing in modern infrastructure that can serve future needs, rather than merely renovating the existing SaskTel Centre. She believes that upgrading the roof of the existing building would be necessary to attract larger events and maintain the city's competitive edge.

Block also emphasized that the city has not committed to any funding for the project, and any cost impact would be up to council to decide, which they plan to discuss openly in the future.