Bid for 2020 Juno Awards gets support at city hall

Todd Brandt elicited some help from Canadian music superstars at city hall on Monday.

Brandt, the president and CEO of Tourism Saskatoon, cited artists like Drake, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes and Jess Moskaluke as possible participants if the Bridge City wins the right to host the 2020 Juno Awards.

“Those are pretty sexy names when you’re talking to the youth of this community about people they might be able to rub shoulders with in the destination,” Brandt told a city council committee.

Council’s planning, development and community services committee unanimously endorsed a request for $350,000 from the city if Saskatoon wins the right to host the 2020 Junos.

Council still needs to give final approval for the funding. Brandt said he’s “hopeful” the provincial government will also come through with money.

The Canadian Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), which stages the annual Junos show, charges an event fee of about $1.7 million for hosting the star-studded event.

In addition to the awards show, to be hosted at Sasktel Centre and broadcast live nationally on the CBC, the Junos entail 65 to 70 events that are expected to attract 30,000 people, Brandt said.

The economic impact of the Junos is estimated at $8 million to $12 million.

Mayor Charlie Clark said the city’s investment makes sense.

“We have a booming music scene in Canada and in Saskatchewan,” Clark told the committee.

He said he has met with CARAS board chair Mark Cohon, the former Canadian Football League commissioner, to discuss Saskatoon’s bid.

Brandt said the city is in a better place to host the Junos now than in 2007, when it first hosted the event. Saskatoon tried to mount a bid for the 2019 Junos that went to London, Ont., but that bid collapsed due to a lack of funding.

The 2020 host is expected to be announced this month.

We have a booming music scene in Canada and in Saskatchewan.