Invest to help keep fun seekers near home

Let’s turn our natural recreational assets into people attractions

About once a year I ask everyone I know to name their favourite thing to do in Saskatoon. I get a lot of great answers, but not a lot of things one would call attractions.

Saskatoon isn’t alone with this problem. Most western cities that aren’t close to the Rocky Mountains struggle with the same issue.

It’s not just an issue when trying to attract people to Saskatoon for tourism events. It’s also an issue in trying to keep dollars and people in the city. Instead of spending money in Saskatoon, it is people heading to Calgary or Edmonton to do it. Those who miss extreme wind chill warnings head for Winnipeg.

We have entire segments of the retail industry dedicated to selling you products that you won’t enjoy in Saskatoon or the area. Whether it’s a kayak, a trail GPS, or a snowboard, we are spending money here so that we can enjoy these products elsewhere.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Growing up in Calgary, when there wasn’t a hockey game to play on a cold Saturday, I would be sent to the nearest McDonald’s. There I would buy a lift ticket for Paskapoo — now Canada Olympic Park — which would also get me a burger and fries at the chalet. I was bused to the hill for a day of skiing before being returned home that evening.

The buses would come in from all over Calgary to the hill. It was a brilliant move by the management of Paskapoo, and it kept money in town that might just as often gone to facilities at Lake Louise or Sunshine.

People in Saskatoon used to be able to ski at Mount Blackstrap. The ski hill suffered some horrible winters that shut it down for more days than were sustainable, but “Ski the Strap” was still something that we loved to do. It eventually fell victim to a struggling economy and short-sighted government cutbacks.

Since it was closed, things have changed and ski hills everywhere have transformed themselves into allseason destinations. Whistler in British Columbia does this better than everyone. Even before the ski hill closes for the winter, crews are battling the mud and snow to get it ready for mountain bike season.

The same people who love to race downhill on a snowboard or skis are also willing to pay big money to race down a hill or navigate giant jumps on a mountain bike. It’s as if the snow is too forgiving in the winter; they need something more painful to fall on during the summer. Facilities like this add value to the community all year long.

Calgary’s weir was converted to a whitewater park. When the idea was championed here by Coun. Darren Hill, many considered it a waste of money. Not only are weirs extremely dangerous, but they prohibit upstream migration of fish (which is why the pelicans congregate there to eat).

Calgary’s whitewater park, called the Harvie Passage, was opened after six years of consultations and planning. The Harvie Passage cost $18 million, which is about what we spend on a single overpass.

It was packed with kayakers when it opened. Like much of Calgary it was badly damaged in the 2013 floods, and is being fixed and redesigned. It also allows for small boats to take advantage of much more of the Bow River, extending the recreational value of the entire river.

Blackstrap is a ghost hill since the chalet burned down and the equipment was left to decay. It would take a significant investment now to revive the place. So far all we have heard from potential investors is vague plans and lots of talk.

With Saskatchewan’s finances looking as they do, don’t expect any money for recreation. My hope is somewhere in the election debate political parties find the time to come up with long-term plans on how we can leverage the few natural recreational assets we have into something that retains people and attracts others to Saskatoon. It’s something that would benefit all of us.