In Saskatoon, a fierce civic battle is unfolding over the future of the city’s downtown, and Councillor Troy Davies is speaking out against what he calls a misleading number at the centre of a petition drive. The controversy revolves around a campaign to force a referendum on the proposed downtown arena and entertainment district, with signature collectors citing a $1.6-billion price tag for the entire project. But Davies, in a Friday interview on CBC’s Saskatoon Morning, made it clear that figure does not match any official estimate on record. According to Davies, the only formal cost projection for the Downtown Event and Entertainment District, or DEED, came from a consultant hired by the city two years ago, and that number was $1.2 billion. “So that’s a lot different than the $1.6 billion number that — I don’t even know where that number came from — but I just wanted some clarity on that,” Davies told host Candice Lipski. His concern isn’t with the petition itself, but with the information voters are being given before they decide whether to sign. “I have no problem as long as people want to sign any petitions or not, but they need to have all the information and it’s got to be transparent.”
The petition drive, which includes Ken Wood, the former director of SaskTel Centre, is specifically seeking to stop the arena component of the district. Davies says the arena alone was originally estimated to cost $632.1 million, or just over half of the district’s total $1.2-billion price tag, and would provide seating for 15,900 spectators. The rest of that official estimate covers a renovated and expanded TCU Place convention centre at $221 million, a parking facility at $75 million, and upgrades to the Sid Buckwold Theatre inside TCU Place at $52 million, with the remainder going to smaller infrastructure improvements across the site. Those numbers were produced by Vancouver-based BTY Group in 2024. Yet the website connected to the signature-gathering group, which notably lists no names of its organizers, points visitors to a July story from Saskatoon’s CKOM as the source for the $1.6-billion “estimated project cost.” The problem? That figure appears in the linked article only as speculation from Councillor Robert Pearce, who suggested the district could eventually cost more than $1.6 billion once all factors were considered. For Davies, this distinction between a verified estimate and Pearl’s speculative comment is crucial, especially when the public is being asked to sign a petition that could trigger a costly, standalone referendum.
The stakes are both democratic and financial. The petition has a hard deadline of December 11, leaving organizers just weeks to collect 26,615 signatures, which represents 10 per cent of Saskatoon’s population according to the 2021 census. If they succeed, the city would face a standalone vote outside a regular election, and that would come with its own significant price tag. Davies pressed city clerk Adam Tittemore for clarity on that cost during Wednesday’s council meeting. Tittemore responded that the best comparison would be the 2024 municipal election, which cost $1.2 million, though that amount was shared between the city and the school boards. He also confirmed there is currently no money budgeted for a potential standalone vote. This means that, in addition to the $1.2-billion district itself, Saskatoon taxpayers could be on the hook for a separate election if enough signatures are gathered. Davies’s point is simple: residents deserve to know what they are being asked to sign, what the project will really cost, and what the consequences of their decision might be. Without accurate and transparent information, he argues, the petition process risks becoming less an exercise in civic engagement and more a tool for confusion.
During that same Wednesday council session, Davies received support for an updated cost estimate for the entire arena district. Council members heard that a fresh estimate from BTY Group is expected in December, which should provide a more current picture of how much the project will actually cost. That timeline may prove critical, as the petition deadline falls in the same month and organizers are already using older, disputed numbers to make their case. Davies also successfully pushed for an updated cost estimate for renovating SaskTel Centre, the 38-year-old arena on the city’s northwest outskirts. The city’s own DEED website currently estimates that renovating the aging facility would cost around $300 million. This is a key point in the larger debate: while downtown arena supporters argue the current facility is outdated and in need of expensive repairs, opponents question whether a new downtown venue is worth the investment when the existing one remains functional. Council also backed Davies’s request for a timeline of decisions connected to the district, recognizing that conversations about Saskatoon’s arena future have been dragging on for a full decade. Providing that timeline, Davies suggested, would help residents understand how the city arrived at this moment and where the project might be heading.
At its heart, this is not just a dispute over construction costs or spreadsheets. It is a dispute over trust and memory. For ten years, Saskatoon residents have heard competing visions for their city’s downtown: one of a vibrant, modern entertainment district that could draw visitors and breathe new life into the core, and another that warns of budget overruns, inflated promises, and a possible referendum that could derail the whole plan. The petition group, led by a former arena director, has framed its campaign as a last chance for the public to have a direct say. But by using a $1.6-billion figure that is not supported by any official estimate, Davies argues, the group may be undermining its own credibility. “I have no problem as long as people want to sign any petitions or not, but they need to have all the information and it’s got to be transparent,” he repeated, emphasizing that his goal is not to block the petition but to ensure it is based on facts rather than fear. In a city that has already watched decades of debate over urban development, the demand for honesty is hardly a radical one. It is, in fact, the bare minimum required for a healthy civic conversation.
As December approaches, all eyes will be on the signature count and the pending BTY Group update. If the petition fails, the downtown district will likely move forward with the planning and approvals already in motion. If it succeeds, Saskatoon will face a costly special election, and the project’s future will be put in the hands of voters. Either way, Davies has succeeded in raising an important question: what exactly are residents consenting to when they sign their names to a petition? The answer should not depend on outdated speculation or deliberately inflated numbers. The city clerk has warned that no money is set aside for a standalone referendum, meaning the cost of democracy itself could add another layer to an already expensive debate. And while the organizers of the petition have not yet responded to requests for comment, their website continues to push the $1.6-billion figure, despite its flimsy origin. In the end, the fate of Saskatoon’s downtown arena may rest less on what the building costs, and more on whether the people of Saskatoon believe they have been told the truth. For now, with the clock ticking and new estimates on the horizon, the only certainty is uncertainty.