Change is tough, but inevitable

We are at the beginning stages of starting to reimagine our city – as a city that is vibrant, culturally significant, livable, walkable, and one that attracts visitors for both business and leisure travel. 

But change is hard. Not just for Saskatoon, but even for bigger cities that make new development look effortless - like Las Vegas.

If you read my last blog, you’ll remember that while the Las Vegas Strip was booming, the city's quaint and historic downtown was on the brink of dying.

The former mayor of Las Vegas, Jan Blackhurst, shared, “The city and gaming leaders knew we needed to do something. People don't like change, but you have to make hard decisions. And this, this was a moment in time where putting up a finger to test if we could get all the public aligned was not going to be the right approach.”

A new hotel room tax—2 percent for Downtown hotels, 1 percent elsewhere—offset the investment, and casino owners contributed millions of dollars to support the new attraction. So, local taxpayers didn’t pay; the visitors did. 

The project was launched over 4 blocks on Freemont Street because that was all the money they had. The rest happened in stages after the experience immediately changed the character of downtown. Upgrades through the years have made the screen brighter and increased the resolution so it could run 24/7, and it’s now the world’s largest single digital display. 

About 17 million people visit the experience annually, and it has doubled in size in the last 12 years.

While the changes and new development decisions were difficult, they saved the whole downtown area, spurred more development, and shored up the local economy against the roller coaster events that would follow. 

When thinking about change, it’s important to hear from other cities that have gone through similar projects to learn from their decisions. Stay tuned for my next blog, where I share more lessons learned from other cities.