For Immediate Release
September 25, 2006
Saskatoon mayoral candidate Lenore Swystun is concerned that the City needs to actively seek landowners and tenants for the south downtown development (see The StarPhoenix, September 23 cover story). In 2004, current Mayor Don Atchison indicated that businesses from across North America and beyond would be knocking on our door to locate in the area.
“The question I ask is what are we doing wrong that investors aren’t knocking on our door to develop on some of the hottest real estate in Canada?” Swystun said. “It’s great that local companies are expanding because it shows that Saskatoon is an attractive place to do business, work and live. So why isn’t that translating into new investment on the site?”
Over $16 million dollars of municipal funding that can be publicly accounted for has been spent on behalf of Saskatoon citizens on the south downtown development. To date the only private investment has been the sale of one parcel for approximately half the appraised market value.
“What we have almost three years later is empty pockets and a scramble to get any type of development done even if it means moving away from the City’s own plan for the area,” Swystun said. “This type of ad-hoc development is unsustainable, contrary to smart growth, and a desperate effort to give the impression of progress. Saskatoon deserves better.”
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For more information, phone:
Lenore Swystun Mayoral Campaign Office,
373-VOTE (8683)
For the Record...
“For the life of me, I can’t believe we would take federal, provincial or municipal dollars on a site where the private sector has been knocking at the door.”
—Don Atchison
The StarPhoenix, How federal cash will be spent focus of mayor, Goodale meeting
January 16, 2004
