Downtown Saskatoon BID launches promotional campaign for entertainment district

The downtown Saskatoon business improvement district (BID) has released the first video of a campaign to promote development of a new Downtown Event and Entertainment District (DEED).

The DEED is to be anchored by a new downtown arena and a new or renovated convention centre.

Saskatoon has been mulling over the prospect of a downtown arena and entertainment district since 2018, when council decided a replacement to SaskTel Centre and TCU Place should be built in the city's downtown.

Though planning is in the preliminary stages, the potential DEED is being promoted as a space to hold the biggest events, conferences, concerts and sports. 

"What is decided related to this project could well define what would become as a district and as a city for the decades to come," Brent Penner, executive director of the downtown BID, said Tuesday in a media conference.

The BID plans to release 18 videos detailing how the DEED could work on its website and social media accounts. 

Penner said Saskatoon not having an arena downtown makes it an "outlier and anomaly" in the country.

"These public assembly facilities will stimulate the economy and bring renewed energy and life to Saskatoon's Downtown. These facilities will indeed keep us on the map and it's got to be downtown," Penner said.

A report on potential sites for a new arena is expected to go to city council later this year.

Penner said the new arena should be at a walkable distance from present facilities, transit and hotels downtown and a "block or two from the key transportation corridors."

"When we have those large scale festivals and events downtown, you see people walking across bridges and cycling, so it opens up some opportunities. But that doesn't exist right now for people to get out to Highway 16," he said.

Penner said the DEED will be a boon for businesses, restaurants and pubs in neighbouring regions of Broadway and Riversdale. He said Saskatoon's geography between Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton works well for touring events and concerts to make a stop over.

"We want to remain competitive in Canadian landscape and certainly for the North American tour circle."

Penner said Saskatoon's people will have to pay for some portion of the development.

"Our current aging arena was built for $26 million and it has paid for itself many times over in terms of economic activity that it is created back for our community."

Penner said time is ripe to invest back into facilities like TCU place that are 50 years old to keep them running for another 50 years.

The Downtown Event and Entertainment District Advisory Group will be working with the city of Saskatoon to explore funding opportunities for the DEED. The first meeting of that group will be scheduled for next week.

"Hopefully in 50 to 60 years, people in the community will look back and say that they were right to make a bold decision," Penner said.