Canalta Centre handoff to City underway, no planned events until fall

“I think the transition focus is there for both management teams that aren’t trying to put on events at the same point in time,” said public services commissioner Mastel. “It’s challenging times in light of changing restrictions, over the last couple of weeks things have changed quite rapidly in terms of re-launch from the province.”

The Canalta Centre has sat empty since the shutdown in mid-March and will remain that way for the coming months according to the City.

PBR Canada’s ‘Thunderbuck in the Badlands’ bull riding stop on September 26 is the lone event scheduled for the facility, while the Medicine Hat Tigers are expected to hit the ice at some point this fall.

Events before then are unlikely to happen however, even if provincial restrictions are loosened.

“The likelihood of the Tigers proceeding first would be the type of time frame we’re looking at,” said Mastel. “So, I don’t expect any events at Canalta [Centre] to occur prior to September. But, we are certainly well underway in the transition planning and being ready for September if the Tigers are cleared to play.”

Work in the coming months will include contract assignments for maintenance work and vendors, closing out the financial books at the turnover date, and putting an operational team in place.

As for general staffing, the City will be waiting until they get closer to the actual events before they begin to hire part-time workers again.

“A lot of the part-time staff have been laid off and will continue to be in that state until we have a view of when we will re-launch some activities there,” said Mastel. “But, we are working on transitioning some of the key staff required for operations.”

Mastel added the City will be considering the experience brought by the pool of part-time workers that have been laid off when re-hiring.

“We’ll certainly look at that pool, that’s potentially a group that is very familiar with the facility,” he said. “If they are still interested in returning to work and haven’t found opportunities elsewhere, that’s a natural candidate for us to reach out to.”

Event planning for the Canalta Centre has taken a backseat during this handover process, with the province focusing on lifting restrictions on outdoor spaces before indoor facilities.

A lot of that planning is incumbent on the performers and entertainers that the Canalta Centre attracts and what their appetite is like for returning to the stage.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty still at what pace and timing you’ll see entertainers returning into those venues and when the restrictions will be lifted from the government authorities,” said Mastel. hat

by Scott Roblin

Canalta Centre handoff to City underway, no planned events until fall

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