Saskatoon to place bid on national sporting event

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Saskatoon city council is being asked for $350,000 to place a bid on a “2027 National Major Sporting Event.”

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Discover Saskatoon is putting forward this ask on Wednesday, with a report to council saying this will bring in elite athletes, national media attention, tens of thousands of fans, and economic returns for the business community.

The event can’t be named yet, according to Discover Saskatoon, noting that they are competing with other cities.

The event’s economic impact was estimated at $15 million, and Discover Saskatoon said there was opportunity for external media attention with the event being televised nationally.

They expect over 100,000 attendees and 13,000 nights of hotel-room bookings.

Additional details will be revealed if the bid is successful. Discover Saskatoon says a final event application would need to be submitted with final details on participation numbers, economic impact and event budget.

The city report said the event meets the criteria for funding under the city’s policy.

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If the bid is successful, money would come from the reserve for major special events, which the city said currently has an uncommitted balance of $880,100.

Saskatoon has a long history of hosting major sports events, including the World Junior Hockey Championship, Memorial Cup, Canadian Olympic curling trials, and Brier. Application packages for the 2027 Brier are due April 30.

This isn’t the only national event Saskatoon has thrown its hat in the ring for this year, with $500,000 being approved in January for a national music awards event bid.

Details of the music award event couldn’t be shared, but it was noted that it would be held in September in 2026.

The two major week-long national events on the Canadian music calendar are the Juno Awards and the Canadian Country Music Association Awards. The Junos are traditionally held in the spring; the CCMAs are held in late summer or early fall.

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The 2026 Junos will be held in Hamilton, Ont., but a host city for the 2026 CCMAs has yet to be announced.

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