Big-time musicians will likely continue avoiding Moose Jaw for the foreseeable future after city council deferred the installation of infrastructure upgrades at the Events Centre to help tame the capital budget shortfall.
Council voted 6-1 during its Dec. 13 budget meeting to remove from the 2024 general capital budget reserve the Multiplex’s $1-million request for rigging steel. This was one of eight motions council approved to help reduce the capital reserve’s $8.9 million deficit.
Coun. Kim Robinson was opposed.
City administration had suggested not proceeding with the installation next year to save over $1.5 million. Meanwhile, it said that $449,839 already allocated to the project should be left in the reserve account for when the project proceeds sometime in the future.
Dean Clarke, regional vice-president of OVG360, which manages the Multiplex, told council during a previous meeting that installing the rigging steel would save the venue time and money when setting up for concerts.
He also noted that larger concerts and artistic performances purposely avoid The Friendly City because the Events Centre lacks rigging steel to hang equipment.
Council discussion
Robinson thought that having this infrastructure was critical to the venue’s success. He acknowledged that $1 million was “a big chunk of change” and the city should have installed it when constructing the building but thought it could be “a game-changer” for the Events Centre and the downtown.
“I think we are missing out on what this could generate in revenues. Sometimes you have to spend a few dollars to get a few dollars,” he added.
Coun. Doug Blanc thought the infrastructure should have been installed in the beginning as well but noted that that decision is now 13 years in the past. While he was concerned about deferring the project, he thought council should leave the existing reserve money untouched.
He added that it’s a shame there is no rigging steel since Moose Jaw is missing out on big shows like Cirque du Soleil.
Mayor Clive Tolley said supporting the motion was appropriate because council didn’t have enough money for the project to proceed. He noted that the Events Centre’s management team plans to announce some exciting news soon, which means Moose Jaw could see several big events next year.
The mayor also pointed out that council agreed to remove nearly $800,000 from the parks and recreation department capital budget, which means many community projects won’t occur next year. His preference would be to spend money in that area than on rigging steel, “which is more of a want than a need.”
Council could consider this initiative in April so that OVG360 has more lead time on acquiring the money and supplies, said Coun. Crystal Froese. Meanwhile, she said the municipality owns a ticketing system and, similar to airport improvement fees, could apply a facilities fee to each ticket to support the Events Centre’s budget.
Coun. Heather Eby said she would love to keep this project in the budget, but that would mean finding $1 million somewhere else to remove because the province mandates that municipalities balance their budgets.
“I don’t know where we’d find another $1 million for projects that are less important than the rigging steel,” she added. “… just because we’re not approving this here and now doesn’t mean it can’t be brought forward in the future. I hope it comes back across our table before the end of 2024.”
The Express will have one final story about the remaining motion.
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