The City of Estevan is looking for the public's opinion on the possibility of a new ice surface being built in Estevan. After a lengthy discussion during the August 19 Council Meeting and a third option proposed by the Bienfait Rink Association, the verbiage of the question has been finalized.
The question that will be on the Civic Election's ballot is as follows:
"Would you support the construction of a third indoor ice facility in the City of Estevan?"
- Yes
- No
City Clerk Judy Pilloud shared during the council meeting that she conversed with the City's legal department to fine-tune the wording of the question. Only one councillor opposed the wording of the plebiscite.
"My concern actually cuts both ways with the current wording. I think there are people that might be in support of the construction if it were through grants and fundraising. There would be people who, maybe with the current wording are supportive of it because the decisions being made in a vacuum, but, if they were provided a price in the question, would then be against it. So, my position is unchanged from the last meeting, I would like to see more information in the question," expressed Councillor Kirsten Walliser.
Mayor Roy Ludwig pushed back, saying that the question is straightforward. "The more succinct you can be about it, the better."
Citing supply-chain disruptions, Ludwig cautioned about adding a price to the question that can't be guaranteed. He referred to the proposed aquatic centre in Regina, with its budget ballooning to $245 million -- $80 million over budget. "You simply can't hold to that because, with everything else [and] the way things are, you're probably not going to make it."
Councillor Shelly Veroba backed up the simplicity of the question that was proposed.
"I just think this question is a good starting point because it doesn't hold us to building a third rink. Nothing on here's saying we're going to spend $2 million, $10 million, $20 million, or head out to Bienfait."
Veroba added that the actual decision for the third rink will be punted to the next Council that's incoming. Agreeing with Mayor Ludwig, she noted that costs for any project could vary at any time. "I know in my eight years on Council...we have checked into the prices and the prices have varied quite a lot. Even tonight with the numbers that we heard about from Bienfait, I would be cautious that those numbers would actually be able to be done in that. However, it's great if a town could do that."
She further stressed that, regardless of the outcome of the plebiscite, it doesn't mean that action will be taken. "We are going to have to be diligent in making sure that we can talk to as many people as we can to inform them that this does not mean a third ice surface is going to be built. It does not mean that somebody's giving carte blanche for $20 million to be spent. It also doesn't mean that it's going to say $2,000,000 is going to be spent somewhere else."
"I just think it's a good starting place because in eight years, I've heard it from both sides of the fence and it's hard to even decide where to go with this." -Councillor Veroba on asking the public's opinion on a third ice surface.
Councillor Walliser is the only one that opposed to the wording of the plebiscite. The rest of the Council approved the way the question was phrased. It will appear on the ballot for the next Civic Election, which is slated on November 13.