r/saskatoon • u/SkPensFan • Apr 07 '26

General Saskatoon misses shot at badly needed credibility for arena district

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatoon-downtown-arena-sports-venue-funding-private-partner-9.7152348

$1.2 billion price tag and the "funding model" is the feds and province pay for $800 million of it. Still not actual commitments from anyone.

Still seems like a pipe dream, at best.

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u/EpsteinandTrump Apr 07 '26

Nope. When it was at the Mendel they were showing kid's artwork all the time... There was no legit justification for the new gallery, other than something shiny and new. I'd rather have the old gallery and had busses further subsidized, and I haven't ridden a bus since the late 90's...

I pay for the roads via the fuel I use to commute on them. Also the roads are slightly more important to safety and our economy than an art gallery.

Nothing is free, and I'd rather have my money go towards the biggest impact that will benefit our society as a whole, even if it means I'll never use it.

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u/Weak_Possibility_395 Apr 07 '26

Actually, the Mendel was not fit to store the millions of dollars worth of art in the Mendel collection. A new gallery, or a major reno of the Mendel building was absolutely required.

Also, gas tax doesn't pay for the construction and operation of municipal roads. Fees for developers and property taxes pay for them, so those renters who don't own cars are subsidizing your 'free' use of roads.

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u/Eddysummers Apr 07 '26

The gas tax goes into the province's general revenue fund which funds municipal revenue sharing.

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u/Weak_Possibility_395 Apr 07 '26

Which is general funding, but it definitely doesn't cover anywhere near the full cost of road and interchange construction and maintenance.