The spike in the operating grant for St. John’s Sports and Entertainment was a topic of contention yesterday as the city tabled what has otherwise been labeled a good news budget.
The grant for SJSE has ballooned by $1-million dollars to $4,431,026.
The city says this is due to a number of factors:
— City of St. John's (@CityofStJohns) December 2, 2019
The new 10-year lease agreement between the Edge and the Growlers, fewer artists doing shows at the venue, conference business being down, and a weak Canadian dollar have all played a factor into the increase.
Mayor Danny Breen says moving forward they need to be continuously reviewing their operations and finding ways to attract events to the facilities. He says the facilities are going trough a “dry spell” at the moment, but notes that things can quickly turn around.
He says it is difficult to predict what will happen, but notes that the operating grant is only what is projected. A few big events coming here could change things around.
