The former chief executive officer of a Saskatoon arena is among a group of residents considering filing a petition to put the city’s Downtown Event and Entertainment District (DEED) project to a referendum.
Ken Wood, who was at the helm of what is now known as the SaskTel Centre when it was called SaskPlace and the Credit Union Centre, is leading the charge of the citizen-led initiative, launching a website Tuesday to gather registrants before launching an official petition.
“This is not the official petition. It is an advanced commitment to sign the paper petition when the formal campaign begins,” Wood told reporters Tuesday morning.
The DEED project has been in the works for several years now, with the intention of transforming a section of Saskatoon’s downtown core into a centre focused on commerce, tourism, entertainment and nightlife.
While not shovel-ready, the project has been the centre of recent discussions with the city agreeing to move ahead on negotiations with Muskeg Lake Cree Nation on a potential partnership for the project in June. The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding later that month.
The website, voteondeed.ca, allows residents to provide their names and contact information, something the group says will help them gauge interest and prepare for the official petition period.
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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,” said Wood.
To launch a referendum in Saskatchewan, residents must get a petition signed by 10 per cent of the city’s population, according to the province’s The Cities Act. In Saskatoon, the threshold for meeting this requirement is 26,615 valid signatures, according to the city.
The petition must then be presented to the city clerk within 90 days of the first signature. If a valid petition is filed, the referendum must take place within nine months.
If the petition were to move ahead, it would not be the first in the city. In 1986, residents previously voted to approve the current location of the SaskTel Centre. Meanwhile, Saskatoon residents also struck down the idea of a downtown casino project in 1994.
Organizers, who are largely made up of community leaders and former council hopefuls, say they believe the vote should go to the public democratically given the magnitude of the DEED project and its price tag.
“If people were happy with this, they could have a say at the ballot box. If they’re not happy with this, they could also have a say at the ballot box,” said Henry Chan, chair of the Saskatoon West Business Association, who also previously ran as a city councillor for Ward 8, coming second to Coun. Scott Ford, in 2024.
“The duty of leadership is not to bypass the public, but rather to consult them,” said Chan.
Tuesday’s announcement was held at the site of one of three contentious public art pieces made of discarded plastics, resembling glacier rocks that are gaining criticism online. Wood says the site was chosen as it exemplifies civic expenditures, adding that public dollars could be used on other projects rather than a new arena when existing infrastructure is still viable.
“SaskTel Centre is in tremendous condition. It can move forward in its current state and host all the events that it is now. It hasn’t missed any events,” he said.
Wood says that any improvements at the SaskTel Centre can be funded from reserves that “already exist on the balance sheet of the facility,” alongside facility loans.
“In the history of the building, we did incredible improvements over my tenure there, and it was all done through productivity loans, and our retained earnings are out of reserve,” he said.
Karen Kobussen was the first to put her name down on the website, saying she agrees with the sentiments expressed by the citizen-led initiative, adding that a petition would be an opportunity for residents to engage with a project currently priced at around $1.2 billion and with several unknowns.
“I just think that there are so many more questions and answers at this point. That’s all we’re looking for, and that’s, I think, what people are looking for. Where’s the other money coming from?” said Kobussen, who also previously ran as a city councillor for Ward 2 in 2024.
Kobussen says she also wants to make sure that decisions made today will not become a burden for future generations and should be made with consideration of current issues across the city.
“I do think addressing homelessness, crime, safety and social disorder are certainly priorities before we consider building this mega project,” she said.
Two weeks ago, the provincial government announced its intentions to back the DEED project by matching potential federal contributions for up to one-third of the total project costs, should the event centre receive funding approval under Ottawa’s Build Communities Strong Fund.
Organizers say they do not currently have a cut-off date for receiving online registrations, but are hoping to see strong support in advance to gain a clearer picture of whether to launch a referendum in the coming weeks.
City administration is expected to provide an update on the negotiations with Muskeg Lake Cree Nation regarding DEED at its governance and priorities committee meeting on Wednesday.
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