Saskatoon Mayoral Candidate Rob Norris meanwhile says the $132 million downtown library project needs to be shelved. He cites COVID-19’s impact on the city’s finances and an increasing tax burden for city residents.

While not denying that a new library downtown is desirable in that the existing facility is at the end of its lifetime, he calls the plans for the proposed library as ‘gold-plated’ and suggests it is $80-100 million over budget.

Norris says it is about asking, in a time when COVID-19 has changed the way residents live work, study and learn, about what is truly needed versus what is wanted.