St. John’s City Council has released the KPMG Report, comparing public and private sector models for the operation of St. John’s Sports and Entertainment.
The capital city hired the auditing company this summer, after rejecting a proposal for the private ownership of Mile One, put forth by the Newfoundland Growlers and the Edge.
View the report at this link.
Mayor Danny Breen says St. John’s Sports and Entertainment faces some inherent challenges, including high fixed costs and geographic isolation.
The consultants looked at a variety of scenarios, including the status quo, third party management options, a long-term lease arrangement and sale of the facility.
It says the city’s current operation model is the most typical employed in Canadian municipalities, followed by third-party management.
Councillor Jamie Korab says his main takeaway from the report is that the city is doing a lot of things right with the current system.
He says while it may need some tweaking, the current system is working well. He notes some changes have already been made, such as bringing in a new food and beverage vendor at the convention centre, and the new deals between the Growlers and the Edge.
