SASKATOON — Six individuals have been named to a downtown event and entertainment district advisory group as the City of Saskatoon moves toward the development of a downtown event and entertainment district.
The advisory group, anchored by a new arena and a new or renovated convention centre, has been established to foster connections between business, community partners, the provincial government and the city to support the successful implementation of the project.
Planning for the development of a downtown event and entertainment district is in the preliminary stages, with the current phase focused on the selection of a future site location for a new arena.
While the city will retain overall ownership of these new facilities and infrastructure once constructed, numerous community partners, key project partners, and sponsors will be integral in driving the successful development and delivery of the project.
“Having key community agencies represented on the advisory group will be tremendously important for the successful development and funding of this project. In addition, having representation from the Province of Saskatchewan provides a reasonable balance of designated agency representation,” technical services director Dan Willems said.
The open call for public applications to the advisory group resulted in an overwhelming response, and the governance and priorities committee said it sincerely thanks all valued applicants for their interest.
In considering the applications, the governance and priorities committee recommended expanding the number of public representatives from five to six to capture a slightly broader cross-section of the community, while agreeing that the advisory group’s overall size and composition need limits to allow for the work of the group to be conducted efficiently and effectively.
At its meeting Thursday, March 24, the governance and priorities committee of city council recommended appointments of the following individuals to serve as public representatives on the advisory group: Open Door Society CEO Ali Abukar, Kindrachuk Agrey Architecture architect Bertrand Bartake, Road Coffee Inc CEO/owner Alisha Esmail, retired business proprietor Geri Fernet, James Hotel marketing/management Shawna Nelson and Andgo Systems product manager Stephen Yee.
MLA for Saskatoon-WIllowgrove Ken Cheveldayoff was accepted to represent the Province of Saskatchewan in the advisory group joining other appointed agency representatives.
Chief Mark Arcand (Saskatoon Tribal Council), Kathie Pruden-Nansel (Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Western Region 2A), Brent Penner (Downtown Business Improvement District), Randy Pshebylo (Riversdale Business Improvement District) Stephanie Clovechok (Tourism Saskatoon), Keith Moen (North Saskatoon Business Association) and Jason Aebig (Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce) were the other agency representatives.
Council representatives on the advisory group are Mayor Charlie Clark, and Councillors Troy Davies and Cynthia Block, who will be the co-chairs of the advisory group. The recommended appointments will be formally approved by city council at its meeting on Monday, March 28.
More information about the downtown event and entertainment district project can be found at saskatoon.ca/entertainmentdistrict.
