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There were reports that Saskatoon officials were in Edmonton to check out Rogers Place recently. It’s all part of the process of keeping momentum going towards a new downtown arena for the Saskatchewan Rush and the Saskatoon Blades.

I am a big fan of the project for several reasons. The main reason is that for a city to go from good to great, it’s just not incremental steps that get the job done. There are some bold risks that need to be taken along the way. A new downtown arena could certainly be considered one.

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It isn’t the only risk that we need to take. Stadiums get all of the glory but the longer lasting impact is the investments in transit and infrastructure. It is one thing to build a world class venue in downtown Saskatoon, but how are we going to get 16,000-plus fans down there and back home 100 times a year? Demolishing more of our downtown for surface parking doesn’t seem like the best of all ideas.

Before the plans are drawn up for a new downtown arena, Saskatoon needs a firm plan for implementing a bus rapid transit system. The success of the arena, the teams that play there and the downtown will be determined not by winning teams but by how easy it will be for people to get down there and back home again afterwards.