Saskatoon city council to vote on location for new downtown arena
CBC
Saskatoon city council will vote at a special meeting Wednesday afternoon on the location for the city's proposed new downtown arena.
The move is a long time coming. City council decided in 2018 to start planning for a downtown event and entertainment district.
City administration recommends the parking lot north of the Midtown shopping centre for the facility, but it isn't the only option. Based on the administration's analysis, the city yards in the north downtown area would be a feasible alternative.
The decision to recommend the lot north of Midtown was based — among other things — on "an evaluation of the sites against extensive technical criteria," according to the city.
Residents also seem keen on the Midtown location. According to a city survey, 63 per cent of respondents listed the site's proximity to amenities such as restaurants and bars as a key opportunity.
If chosen, the city would have to buy the north parking lot from Midtown Plaza Inc., at a price tag of around $25 million, according to the city.
Despite all the work done so far, it will still be at least six years of designing, budgeting, council decisions and construction before the ribbon is cut, Dan Willems, the city's director of technical services, said earlier this month.
City council is scheduled to meet beginning at 1 p.m. CST.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.