City council will need to decide whether to keep the arena or another option, such as selling it to the Exhibition Association. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Budget 2025

Future of Dave Steuart arena draws debate during budget talks

Jan 8, 2025 | 9:00 PM

Should it stay or go? That’s the decision in front of Prince Albert city council and it’s not an easy one with two councillors strongly arguing in favour of keeping the Dave G. Steuart Arena in the city’s hands, against staff recommendations.

Councillor Dan Brown (Ward 1) said he thinks groups like minor hockey will still make use of the facility, pointing out that Prince Albert teams already need to use out of town rinks, like in the RM of Buckland.

“I think that extra ice is going to be needed,” he said.

The cost of fixing the roof is about $600,000 and other operational funding would also be needed, adding to a budget that council is already looking to find ways to cut.

Damage is extensive to the roof. (screen shot/City of Prince Albert)

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Brown suggested eliminating the canteen and only having one staff member on for things like running the ice re-surfacer, could help save money.

Community Services Director Jody Boulet explained the facility was first flagged for a new roof 14 years ago and they have managed to keep it going until now but it won’t last much longer.

He also said that his department is expecting a proposal from the Exhibition Association to buy the building with the idea of using it for shows and trade fairs. They would repair the roof themselves and the city would have the expense of removing the boards, estimated around $25,000.

“I think it’s important for council to make a decision with all the information in front of them,” Boulet said.

In addition to needing some major repairs, the city will open the Lake Country Leisure Centre in March/April which has two ice pads in it, increasing the number of available surfaces by one even with this closure.

Coun.Tony Head (Ward 3) said he has heard from residents in his ward that they would like the keep the ice surface.

However, Coun. Blake Edwards said that the city simply can’t afford to keep increasing the number of facilities they operate as they all run at a deficit with funding coming from taxpayers.

“Our tax base can’t continue down this path with all these subsidies to these facilities,” he said. For the Steuart, the city kicks in $180,000 annually to keep it going.

He also wanted to hear what the future usage will be.

Minor Hockey general manager Trevor Reddens told paNOW in a phone interview that they would use the arena, even with two additional ice surfaces coming on board.

“The Steuart arena is hugely important to us,” he said. “If you look at our scenario this year, a lot of families who have signed up for hockey in Prince Albert have had to have a lot of games and practices out of town.”

That includes Birch Hills, St. Louis and the Buckland Arena. They don’t get much access to the Art Hauser, which hosts the Raiders and he said the Kinsmen arena is usually booked full.

“That’s three facilities outside of the City of Prince Albert that are getting a significant investment and significant activity from Prince Albert. I think gaining one surface will help; but if we were able to keep the Steuart, it would be very meaningful for us,” he said.

Participation in hockey dropped during the pandemic but has since bounced back, growing well over 10 per cent last year and the year before. Most of those are players in the younger years.

While the organization expects that will level out, they also expect to see steady growth in the future.

“There’s a lot of interest in female hockey as well, which is fantastic. I think its safe to assume that what we have, I would think, is modest growth that should continue moving forward,” Reddens said.

Council will not finalize the budget yet. Tomorrow, they will continue going through the different sections and will likely hear from the Prince Albert Police.

Last year, the service asked for an increase of $1.4 million over the previous year, some of which was to be put to things like two crime analyst positions and other increased costs. They got $750,000.

This year, they are asking for $1.2 million. Most of it will go to increased costs of labour after contract negotiations, just under $1 million. All of that makes deciding which priorities to fund even more challenging.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil@bsky.social