Sault Blog

Famously, derided by a long serving City Councillor, the Downtown Plaza Naysayers tried desperately and repeatedly to call into question the need for this Downtown Plaza as it was a blatant duplication of the Roberta Bondar Pavilion; it was incredibly expensive at almost four times the initial budget; Senior City Administrators, the main proponents arguments where confusing platitudes lacking any business sense or KPIs (known productivity indicators); and a history of City Managers and Staff ignoring existing venues like the Bellevue Park Stage, Roberta Bondar Pavilion, and the GFL Centre, etc.

Six years after inception, and 18 months after opening, City Administration, or more precisely City Council, is still trying to get this Downtown Plaza to work; finally coming to the realization that it is NOT a park, it is NOT a plaza: it is a $12,000,000 “entertainment venue”.

At a recent City Council Meeting, Ward Three Councillor Caputo suggested that an additional $50K, in addition to the already allocated $18K, was needed to activate the Downtown Plaza. These funds are for entertainment acts that will serve as attractions to bring people to the Downtown Plaza. When another Councillor asked staff if there were any corporate or private sector donations or funding, a roundabout answer was “no”, as there is no interest from the community for funding events at the Downtown Plaza; as there was virtually none for its construction either from government or private sector.

Agree with or against Councillor Caputo on many issues; there is one thing she understands as a businessperson in the Sault: how to run a business. The Downtown Plaza is not a park; it is an entertainment venue, and like any other business in the Sault, it will require two main components: An experienced entrepreneurial person who will be responsible for the venture’s success, and a sufficient amount of money to ensure the endeavour is funded adequately for long-term success.

Again, at the last City Council meeting, Councillor Caputo learned the hard way that after being open for 18 months, the Downtown Plaza still has no business plan, marketing plan and no schedule of activation events. A “team” is being assembled to promote the Downtown Plaza, led by the remnants of the former Downtown Business Association, which don’t seem to have a sense of business urgency.

Councillor Caputo’s motion was defeated because embarrassingly the Downtown Plaza’s management does not have a marketing plan completed that includes a calendar of events for the Downtown Plaza and the dollars necessary to pay entertainers to activate the Downtown Plaza; so a popular YouTube, Vlogger like Mr. Peter Santenello, with 4 million viewers does not have at attend the Downtown Plaza and infamously ask: “Why is there nobody in this Downtown Plaza in the middle of July on a Saturday night at 5pm?”

Mayor Shoemaker stated that he was pleased with the total turnout of 30,000 citizens for the Downtown Plaza events last year, 2025. Suggesting that if the activation cost of $18,000 was divided by 30,000 participants that was a very reasonable return on investment; however, he was remiss to add the cost of maintenance, $250,000 and the absorbing of the Downtown Association staff, etc. $200,000; therefore, the real total costs of the Downtown Plaza last year, (excluding capital cost of $12,000,000) was $458,000 to attract 30,000 people totalling $15.25 per attendee.

30,000 attendees for a $12,000,000 venue with yearly operating costs of at least $500,000 is NOT good value for taxpayer dollars spent. This Downtown Plaza entertainment venue requires an experienced entertainment manager to produce an events marketing plan that identifies the funding required to attract at least 160,000 people per year (two visits per Sault citizen) to make this Downtown Plaza a success.

In business, time is money, and the constant City Council Meeting debates over the direction of this Downtown Plaza, its exorbitant construction costs, and the yearly operational expenses have angered Sault’s taxpaying citizens. More City Council meeting time is spent on this boondoggle than on dealing with our City’s core functions; our City’s Chief Operating Officers, who were the primary proponents of the Downtown Plaza with a $1.1M Toronto Consultant fee, have absolutely no answers as to why this Downtown Plaza is a failure.

The Downtown Plaza cannot fund itself as it is too porous to charge admission; it will cost the taxpayers of Sault Ste. Marie, at least $400,000-$600,000 a year to operate. Our City’s Chief Operating Administrators, who wanted this Downtown Plaza, have finally understood the costs of operating and maintaining it; they also realize just how hard and expensive it is to operate a business in Sault Ste. Marie.

Mark Menean, http://www.saultblog.com