There’s nothing like a nice November downpour to re-mind you to take an umbrella everywhere you go, even in early winter.
On the Wednesday of Agribition, it must have rained at least an inch. But I didn’t just need the missing um-brella outside. I needed it inside.
Much has been written over the years about the aging, power-challenged, leaking, drafty barns.
This year, two barns were closed down, replaced by a new sale area. It was a good start, but it’s not just the barns that are compromised by wet weather.
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In one of the main building lobbies, it wasn’t just leaking, it was literally raining inside along one roof seam.
Meanwhile, a large garbage can caught most of the rain dripping aggressively through the Canada Exhibit Mall ceiling, but it came down so hard it splashed people walking by.
In another lobby in an older building, it was also raining through a hole in the roof, soaking the ceiling materials and pouring all over the floor. I could go on, but you get the idea.
Enough is enough. Canadian Western Agribition is considered a world-class show featuring beautiful, world-class livestock. It generates at least $27 million for businesses connected to the show. It attracts hundreds of international customers. Agribition officials have worked hard to generate that kind of global attention. What must the international guests think when they are dodging indoor rain?
And what about the safety of the buildings? At what point are plaster, electrical wiring and wood compromised? Will more than rain fall down on our heads?
Granted, repairs like this cost a fortune, and it’s therefore hardly surprising that a plan is still apparently not in place to correct the issues afflicting the buildings on the fair grounds.
But the City of Regina, which owns the facilities, the Province of Saskatchewan and (with any kind of luck) the federal government must come up with a plan. I’m willing to bet that if these buildings are still salvageable, it would still be less expensive to fix them than to build a new stadium or two.
After all, Agribition isn’t just some fun thing to do in the middle of November. It’s an economic driver.
The problems have been going on for long enough.
It’s time to fix them.
