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54-456: SaskPlace was constructed as a replacement for Saskatoon Arena , a concrete building constructed in Saskatoon's downtown core in the 1930s. The building was in use until 1988, hosting its final hockey game only a week before SaskPlace opened. Nicknamed "The Barn", the facility had outlived its usefulness some 20 years earlier and had become infamous for leaky roofs and substandard amenities. Yet

108-473: A CRTC ruling requiring that it share access to its last mile fibreoptic networks with competitors on a wholesale basis. SaskTel cited that the CRTC decision failed to factor in the company's market position and mandates in comparison to other incumbent ISPs the decision primarily targeted, and that allowing third-party access to its network would marginalize its investments. SaskTel is a sponsorship partner for

162-447: A century, ranging from musical acts to wrestling matches. The rink hosted two national men's curling championships, in 1946 and 1965, and one national women's curling championship, in 1972. The 1946 Macdonald Brier was opened by Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas and was the first to be broadcast nationally on CBC radio , while the 1965 edition set a new tournament attendance record. The 1972 Macdonald Lassies Championship also set

216-463: A game between the Calgary Flames and Minnesota North Stars . In the early 2000s, Saunders Avenue, a street leading into the parking lot of the arena, was renamed Bill Hunter Avenue in honour of Hunter, who died in 2002. This was considered ironic by many Saskatonians, given Hunter lobbied for the facility to be built in another location near the old Saskatoon Arena. The city then transferred

270-414: A low-income retirement home, on the site. The old arena site also became the location of an ironic piece of street naming. For many years, a Saunders Avenue provided access to Saskatchewan Place; but after the 2002 death of Hunter, the street was renamed Bill Hunter Avenue—even though Hunter was known to have opposed the location of Saskatchewan Place. The Saunders name was then transferred to Saunders Place,

324-408: A match taped for Superstars , Calgary's Bill Jordan was squashed by the debuting Yokozuna , who dethroned Hart the following April at WrestleMania IX . In March 2023, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced that it would broadcast Dynamite from SaskTel Centre on July 12, 2023, as part of a pair of shows in the province. Metallica performed at the arena in 1992. In June 1988, the arena hosted

378-530: A modern, 18,000 seat arena, which was considered too big for any available site in downtown Saskatoon. Public plebiscites ultimately rejected the construction of a new downtown arena, and approved construction of Saskatchewan Place in the city's North Industrial area. The last hockey game at Saskatoon Arena was played on February 2, 1988—Saskatoon beat the Regina Pats 7–0 before a sold-out crowd. The next week, Saskatchewan Place officially opened, becoming

432-687: A more appropriate location for the statue. In 2005, the Gordie Howe statue was moved outside the arena's main entrance. Following Howe's death in June 2016, the statue became a memorial site for the player. In September 2016, the cremated remains of Howe and his wife Colleen Howe were buried at the statue's base. Saskatoon Arena Saskatoon Arena was an indoor arena located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan , which opened in October 1937, and which

486-466: A new downtown arena instead, wary of the long-term effects that losing the arena would have on the city's downtown. In addition, concern was expressed about the accessibility of the location north of the city. Public reaction to the council vote was mixed, and a petition with more than 16,000 signatures demanding a public vote resulted in a public plebiscite being held in conjunction with the 1985 civic election. In that plebiscite, Saskatoon residents rejected

540-553: A new tournament attendance record and was won by Vera Pezer 's Saskatoon rink, their second in a run of three consecutive national titles. Even in its final decade, as the city debated replacing the aging facility, it continued to host major musical and traveling acts, including the Harlem Globetrotters . However, the facility had outlived its usefulness by the 1970s and had become infamous for its leaky roof and substandard amenities. The city proved hesitant to lose

594-551: A process that began March 27. On October 4, 2019, 5,000 Unifor workers representing seven Saskatchewan crown corporations, including SaskTel and two subsidiaries, went on strike. SaskTel stated that this strike would not affect service for its customers (including online billing and account management via the mySaskTel website), but that first-party SaskTel retail stores will be closed for the duration, and that customers would be unable to activate new home services or transfer them to new residences. After initially picketing outside of

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648-399: A proposal to place the statue outside the arena, as they felt it had no artistic value or "enduring quality." The statue would be purchased by the owners of Midtown Plaza , and installed on a street corner near the mall. The placement was criticized by a Saskatoon Star-Phoenix columnist, who felt (as per a survey the paper conducted, and an opinion from Howe himself) that the arena would be

702-513: A public referendum; in August 2016, he stated that "if we get an offer and we think it generates a significant amount of money for the province, maybe enough to eliminate our [$ 4.1 billion] operating debt, if it takes care of the jobs question in Regina, if it provides better coverage, we are at least going to take it to the people and we'll need someone to lead that process." In May 2017, following

756-484: A range of BlackBerry and Nokia handsets, and the promise of iPhone carriage in the future. In August 2012, SaskTel announced that it would construct a fibre to the home (FTTH) network branded as Infinet (stylized infiNET), beginning in portions of Regina and Saskatoon, and other cities over the next seven years. In January 2013, SaskTel announced the launch of an LTE network in the Regina and Saskatoon areas, with plans to extend coverage into other major areas of

810-481: A show by Tiffany . In 2005, the arena hosted a gala command performance for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip , hosted by Brent Butt , as part of a royal visit to Saskatchewan commemorating the province's centennial. The arena hosted the 2007 Juno Awards . The Juno Awards were to return to SaskTel Centre in 2020 , but the ceremony was cancelled on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In October 2014,

864-501: A street that provides access to Clinkskill Manor and runs through the former site of Saskatoon Arena. SaskTel Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation , operating as SaskTel , is a Canadian crown-owned telecommunications firm based in the province of Saskatchewan . Owned by the provincial government, it provides wireline and wireless communications services, including landline telephone , mobile networks , broadband internet (including copper DSL , fibre to

918-631: The Canadian Football League 's Saskatchewan Roughriders , and was named as a "founding partner" of the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina upon its opening in 2016. In August 2014, SaskTel acquired the naming rights to Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre, and renamed it SaskTel Centre . It is also title sponsor of the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival in Saskatoon. From 2007 until 2016, SaskTel's marketing prominently featured 3D-animated characters such as Little Red ,

972-684: The Memorial Cup twice at SaskTel Centre. The first time was in 1989 , the year after the arena opened; the Blades made it to the final, but lost 4–3 in overtime to the WHL champion Swift Current Broncos . They hosted again in 2013 , but won just one match and failed to advance to final round. Saskatchewan Place has twice hosted the IIHF World Junior Championship , first in 1991 , and again in 2010 , when Saskatoon co-hosted

1026-709: The NFL , was that although Saskatoon was likely too small to support an NHL team of its own, it would easily be able to sell out the Credit Union Centre for one game each month. However, by May 2011, Ice Edge Holdings had abandoned its plan to purchase the team. In August 2014, SaskTel acquired the naming rights to the arena, renaming it SaskTel Centre. In 2016, the Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League relocated to Saskatoon as

1080-468: The Saskatchewan Party 's convention, workers picketed outside of SaskTel's call centre in Regina on October 8—preventing managers from entering. The same day, Unifor stated its intent to return to a work-to-rule action on October 8 without a new deal. However, SaskTel announced that it would not allow the unionized workers to return, as "unknown and intermittent walkouts" could compromise

1134-583: The Saskatchewan Rush , playing their home games at SaskTel Centre. In 2017, the team reached a naming rights sponsorship with Saskatoon Co-op , under which the arena is referred to as Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre during Rush games. A 2018 study recommended the construction of a new arena and convention centre in downtown Saskatoon to replace SaskTel Centre and TCU Place . Both venues were assessed as needing replacement, failing to meet standards in comparison to venues in equivalent markets, including

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1188-543: The 'Saunders' name to a new street in the River Landing redevelopment area—running through the former site of the Saskatoon Arena. In 2008–09, the arena, then called the Credit Union Centre, was renovated for the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships . There were 2,981 seats added to the arena, increasing the capacity to more than 15,000. The cost of the expansion was pegged at $ 6.7 million. $ 2 million

1242-495: The NHL ultimately rejected his offer and plans to relocate an NHL team collapsed. Even so, the city had shifted planning to building a larger arena, and debate continued about the preferred location. City Council narrowly approved the north industrial proposal in a 6–5 vote in 1985. While mayor Cliff Wright and alderman and future mayor Henry Dayday championed the location, some of council, including alderman Pat Lorje , advocated for

1296-450: The agreement was ratified by SaskTel employees. On June 24, 2020, SaskTel announced that it will not use Huawei equipment for its 5G services, citing a desire to remain uniform with its roaming partners of Bell and Telus (which both chose Ericsson as supplier). On March 15, 2021, SaskTel announced that it would begin a preliminary deployment of 5G service in Regina and Saskatoon by the end of 2021, with Samsung Electronics serving as

1350-610: The arena hosted a show by Demi Lovato of her Demi World Tour . From June 9 to 12, 2016, SaskTel Centre hosted six sold-out performances by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood as part of their World Tour . The shows broke a record for concert attendance at the arena—set by Brooks in 1996—averaging 15,776 per show and an estimated total of 94,655 attendees. The single-concert record would be exceeded by Metallica 's WorldWired Tour stop at SaskTel Centre in September 2018, attracting 16,874 attendees in one of only two Canadian stops on

1404-585: The arena's inadequate space for large event staging and rigging, and poor location and accessibility. In August 2022, following an evaluation of five potential sites, a report recommending one of two sites—one in the north downtown city yard, and one in the north parking lot of Midtown —was presented to city council. On November 16, 2022, the Midtown site was selected. A proposed design of the Downtown Entertainment and Event District, anchored by

1458-579: The city and province and an additional $ 50,000 in public shares, which were sold for $ 0.10 each. The land purchase to build the arena involved a ten-year agreement to offer free skating and hockey for school children. Construction began in September 1937 and the arena opened on October 30, featuring a sold-out hockey game between the New York Rangers and New York Americans of the National Hockey League (NHL). The new arena

1512-450: The city was hesitant to lose the landmark, and a number of years passed between the 1970s proposal to replace the structure and the eventual demolition of the Arena and the opening of SaskPlace in the late 1980s. In 1982, the city approved a proposal to build a new 5,000 seat arena at the city's Exhibition grounds south of the downtown core. However, by 1983 local sports promoter Bill Hunter

1566-509: The company conducted an independent assessment, factoring in the then-proposed acquisition of former crown telco MTS in Manitoba to Bell Canada . The review found that SaskTel's net income risked "[being] unable to support the level of dividends that have been returned to the province in recent years", citing the possibility of new or enhanced competition among other companies. Wall promised that any sale of SaskTel shares would be subject to

1620-721: The company introduced a digital , IPTV -based television service known as Max Entertainment Services, as one of the first such offerings in Canada. In 2009, SaskTel entered into network sharing agreements with Bell Canada and Telus , while SaskTel has a separate agreement with Rogers to contribute to a national UMTS / HSPA+ cellular network. In July 2010, SaskTel announced an employee trial launch of its CA$ 170 million HSPA+ network. The services became publicly available August 16 in metropolitan areas such as North Battleford , Moose Jaw , Prince Albert , Regina , Saskatoon , Swift Current , Yorkton , and Weyburn . It launched with

1674-600: The construction of the Broadway Bridge , a Depression -era relief work project that was completed in 1932. In 1936, a group of Saskatoon businessmen started lobbying and raising funds for the construction of a new artificial ice arena; the Depression presented a challenge to this vision, but the group formed an organization—Saskatoon Arena Limited (SAL)—to formalize its efforts and manage the project. The arena group ultimately secured $ 13,000 in relief payments from

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1728-496: The decision by customers and government officials, minister responsible for SaskTel Don Morgan "instructed" the company to backpedal on the plans. In June 2024, SaskTel announced that at least half of its existing network footprint had been upgraded to 5G service. September 2024 saw 5G expansions focused on 50 rural and Indigenous communities. In October 2024, SaskTel filed with the Federal Court of Appeal to challenge

1782-447: The downtown option, with 64% voting against it. A second plebiscite was held in 1986 to approve the north industrial location, which passed with 70% in favour. Construction thus proceeded on the north industrial location, and an 8,000-seat Saskatchewan Place was completed in 1988, expanded to 11,000 in 1990. Despite the votes that led to the arena, the location remained polarizing in ensuing decades, especially as many hoped-for benefits of

1836-621: The home , and wireless broadband ), IPTV , and security services. Through a subsidiary, SaskTel International , the company has also worked on telecom infrastructure projects in countries such as Argentina and the Bahamas , as well as being the lead implementation company for the communication and control systems of the Channel Tunnel between England and France. As of 2022, SaskTel serves around 1.4 million customers, and has an annual revenue of around CA$ 1.3 billion . SaskTel

1890-546: The inaugural CEBL Championship Weekend in 2019, which saw the Rattlers win the league's first title with a 94–83 win over the Hamilton Honey Badgers . During a World Wrestling Federation taping at the arena on October 12, 1992 for a Coliseum Video release, Bret Hart of Calgary (whose father, Stu , was a Saskatoon native) defeated Ric Flair to win his first WWF World Heavyweight Championship . In

1944-451: The landmark and a number of years passed between the first proposal to replace the structure in the 1970s and its eventual closure in the late 1980s. The situation was complicated when local sports promoter Bill Hunter instigated efforts to bring the NHL to Saskatoon, including a failed bid to purchase and relocate the St. Louis Blues in the early 1980s. Hunter's efforts included plans to build

1998-605: The new arena under the working title "Saskatchewan Place", was unveiled in February 2024. The arena's inaugural event was the Saskatoon Blades' first WHL game at the arena, in which they defeated the Brandon Wheat Kings 4–3. Troy Kennedy scored the first goal in the arena's history, while Kory Kocur scored the game's winning goal in front of a sell-out crowd of 9,343. The Saskatoon Blades have hosted

2052-551: The new home of the Blades. Saskatoon Arena was demolished in 1989. During the summer of 1989, the Arena site was transformed into an amphitheatre to host cultural events during the Canada Summer Games , which were hosted in Saskatoon. During this time, the city was considering a riverbank redevelopment project and it was thought that the Arena site could retain the amphitheatre. However, in 1992, city council decided instead to approve construction of Clinkskill Manor,

2106-661: The next year, with $ 61.2 million going towards FTTH deployment for 22,000 additional customers, $ 26.5 million on improvements to its wireless network, and $ 109.1 million into customer service. In August 2018, SaskTel launched MaxTV Stream, a new skinny-bundle IPTV service, utilizing the Ericsson MediaFirst platform running as an app on Android TV boxes. On launch the service was available in all SaskTel FTTH markets, as well as 11 rural communities. On February 21, 2019, SaskTel announced that all customers who have internet access will be migrated to electronic billing, in

2160-425: The north location, including an influx of new services and a relocation of the city's exhibition grounds adjacent to the site, failed to materialize. Moreover, the hoped-for NHL franchise never arrived either; Hunter tried again in the early 1990s, applying for an expansion team, but ultimately fell just short of securing adequate funding. However, the arena did host the NHL's first neutral-site game on October 13, 1992,

2214-776: The passing of Bill 40, it was reported that representatives of BCE Inc. , Rogers Communications , and Telus had been lobbying and in discussions with Dustin Duncan , minister responsible for SaskTel. The company stated that the meetings were regarding ongoing wholesale agreements between the companies, and were unrelated to privatization. In August 2017, Wall announced that he would repeal Bill 40. SaskTel shut down its CDMA network in July 2017. In August 2017, SaskTel announced that it would build FTTH in Rosthern, Saskatchewan (which lies between Saskatoon and Prince Albert). The deployment

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2268-568: The province by 2014. As of 2013, the company had recorded nearly 616,000 wireless subscribers and over 100,000 Max TV subscribers. In July 2015, SaskTel acquired six AWS-1 wireless spectrum licenses from Freedom Mobile . In 2016, Brad Wall 's Saskatchewan Party government proposed Bill 40, which allowed for the partial privatization of up to 50% of a provincial crown corporation without seeking public approval. The bill prompted concerns that stakes in SaskTel could be sold to third-parties;

2322-420: The province's telephone system would be taken over by the newly-established crown corporation Saskatchewan Government Telephones , effective June 1. The change was intended to separate the administrative duties for the telephone system from the government's regulatory duties. In 1999, SaskTel launched a new Yorkton -based subsidiary known as SecurTek, which deals in security and monitoring services. In 2002,

2376-437: The quality of service (Unifor stated that it would only provide 24 hours' notice of any future walkout). In solidarity, the remaining employees in the strike (representing crown corporations such as SaskPower ) chose to not return to work either. In October 2019, SaskTel and Unifor reached a tentative agreement, pending ratification, and work by employees resumed on October 22, 2019. On November 15, 2019, Unifor announced that

2430-467: The sole supplier of equipment for the network. To support the deployment, Samsung Electronics later announced that it will open a regional office in Regina. In December 2021, SaskTel announced a new mobile brand known as Lüm Mobile, a self-service prepaid MVNO . On January 17, 2023, SaskTel announced that it would begin charging an additional fee of $ 1.95 per-month for its sasktel.net email services effective April 2023. However, following criticism of

2484-698: The tour. The band dedicated their performance of " Nothing Else Matters " to those who had died in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash . In October 2019, SaskTel Centre hosted a two-night stop on Elton John 's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. A bronze statue of former Detroit Red Wings player and Saskatoon native Gordie Howe has been located outside the arena since 2005. The statue was created by Michael Martin but remained in Eston, Saskatchewan until 1993, when private donations were used to fund its completion. As city property, Saskatoon's city council rejected

2538-420: The tournament with Regina. The arena also hosted the 2018 4 Nations Cup women's tournament. The arena has hosted several men's and women's national championships, including four Brier championships– 1989 , 2000 , 2004 , 2012 –and one Tournament of Hearts , in 1991 . SaskTel Centre also hosted the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics . The Saskatchewan Rattlers hosted

2592-534: Was "hailed as the only artificial ice surface between Winnipeg and Calgary". SAL secretary Norman Couch, who had been working for the McDonald Tobacco Company , became the arena's manager. SAL ran the facility until it was leased to the City of Saskatoon, beginning in 1956; the City purchased the arena from SAL in 1958, although Couch remained the arena's manager until he retired in 1962. The arena

2646-491: Was attempting to purchase the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League with a plan to relocate the team to Saskatoon; part of this plan included building an 18,000-seat arena. Two locations for this much larger arena were suggested: the site of a decommissioned power plant downtown, just west of Saskatoon Arena, and a site north of the city's airport in the North Industrial area. Despite Hunter's best efforts,

2700-594: Was demolished in March 1989. The arena was situated in downtown Saskatoon , on a site overlooking the South Saskatchewan River . It was the city's main entertainment venue for a half-century, before it was replaced in 1988 by Saskatchewan Place . Saskatoon Arena was conceived as a replacement for the Crescent Rink , a small arena built in 1920 that was demolished in the early 1930s as part of

2754-705: Was established pursuant to the Telephone Acts as the Department of Railways, Telegraphs and Telephones on June 12, 1908, and through acquisitions of other independent telephone companies (including the Bell Telephone Company of Canada 's Saskatchewan operations in 1909) quickly became the dominant government-run telephone operator in Saskatchewan. On May 9, 1947, premier Tommy Douglas announced that ownership and operational duties for

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2808-671: Was home to the Saskatoon Quakers hockey team and, from 1964, to the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League , who remained the building's primary tenants until it closed in 1988. The arena was renowned for having exceptional ice quality. Nicknamed "The Barn" and also known as the "arena rink", Saskatoon Arena seated just over 3,300 but was known to hold as many as 7,000 with standing room for big events. The arena hosted major events for half of

2862-471: Was part of a pilot program for deploying the service in portions of Saskatchewan's rural regions. It also launched a new suite of smart home and home security products in conjunction with SecurTek and Alarm.com . In April 2018, SaskTel's directory division DirectWest expanded into out-of-home advertising through the purchase of digital billboards. In May 2018, SaskTel announced a capital investment of $ 301 million into improvements to its services over

2916-673: Was requested as a loan from the city of Saskatoon and $ 3 million from a provincial grant. Hockey Canada may have also contributed about $ 500,000. At this time, there was a proposal from Ice Edge Holdings to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and begin playing five of the Coyotes' home games each season at Credit Union Centre, beginning in December 2009. The logic behind the move, which parallels the Bills Toronto Series in

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