Saskatoon

Ladies’ night looked a little different Tuesday for the hundreds of women attending Chippendale’s stop in Saskatoon — tucked in the back were volunteers from a local charity. It wasn't just a clever partnership. It was a legal obligation.

Michael Reddekopp spoke on behalf of Reddee Properties Inc., which owns six buildings downtown. He said his properties currently have six vacancies where thriving businesses once operated.

"If you go right in front of Midtown Plaza right now, the downtown is struggling with vagrancy, homelessness, crime and, in essence, some people would say it's rotting at its core," Reddekopp said.

It is almost like this is a different issue, that needs some serious social services work put behind it. Not something to say in an article about how the city is going to try to get this Link system working.

Okay, who washed their car yesterday and brought this on? I can't get the door to my deck open, there's so much snow piled up.

Fair enough, but then why should federal and provincial taxpayers pony up an estimated $800 million for the same venue? That's the plan, if you want to call it that.

It's an excessive amount of money, even before you consider the longstanding objection in Canada to using taxpayer dollars to fund arenas for sports teams.

We may have entered an era when such projects can't proceed without a billionaire partner who owns the major tenant, like an NHL or MLB team.

In the meantime, Saskatoon soldiers on with proposed funding for the arena district that seems increasingly precarious, perhaps even pure fantasy.

I hate that “we” are expecting capital from a cooperation or rich person to fund our public things. I get and understand why people do not want their taxes to go up but at the same time do we want to live in a world where everything is sold? I like my healthcare and my drug prices where they are!