It was approved by Saskatoon’s Governance and Priorities Committee yesterday (Tues) that the future downtown event and convention centre be managed by a private partner but remain City-owned.  This will still have to go before City Council.

A news release from the City says currently, SaskTel Centre is operated by a private company. The proposed option would mean, after going through procurement and contract negotiations to find the optimum preferred partner, both future facilities could be managed by one company.

This would allow the City to easily oversee the structure and management of both, as well as come to a management agreement after getting competitive bids from various possible partners. The next step in the process will require getting the proper documents for acquiring the private partner.

City Administration will likely be reporting back in April or May regarding a timeline for the procurement, as well as seeking City Council’s approval of elements within the Request for Proposal before it is issued.

Keira Miller