Letter: Prairieland Park's relationship with SaskTel Centre concerns

A reader says payments from SaskTel Centre to Prairieland Park are problematic, especially with plans for downtown arena district.

Published Nov 15, 2023 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read

SaskTel Centre is seen in Saskatoon, Sask. on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

I know we’re all tired of talking about the arena district, but hear me out. A major concern is the city’s fiscal responsibility. I propose another related concern: competition.

Discover Saskatoon and the chamber of commerce continuously champion the district. Ironically, Discover Saskatoon’s board of directors includes Dan Kempannien, CEO of Prairieland Park, a corporation that poses a real threat to the purported success of the district.

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Prairieland Park is just down the road from the proposed event centre and already competes with local businesses for weddings, banquets, graduations, and more — activities not permitted on AG-zoned land.

Prairieland’s halls, built over 20 years with the permission of city council in contravention of the city’s own zoning bylaw, have allowed Prairieland to pose an increasingly larger threat to other local businesses and, yes, the arena district.

Now, what if I told you the city actually pays Prairieland to compete against them? According to the City of Saskatoon public accounts, the city pays Prairieland Park an average of $312,000 annually for “SaskTel Centre Expenses.” Read that again.

Why are taxpayers paying a non-profit, non-tax-paying, bylaw-shirking entity to compete against their own event centre?

In the past 10 years alone, Saskatoon taxpayers have paid Prairieland Park nearly $3 million for these “SaskTel Centre Expenses.” A quick look at Prairieland and SaskTel Centre’s careers page quickly reveals the responsibility for hiring casual workers at SaskTel Centre is delegated to — you guessed it — Prairieland.

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Will the city continue to use taxpayer dollars to grow the competition once this big event centre comes to fruition?

Nicole Hein, Saskatoon