After playing a pivotal role in helping area businesses cope with financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce (PSCC) is itself receiving a helping hand.
Warman City Council voted in favour of waiving lease payments for the months of April, May, June and July on PSCC office space in a city-owned building on Klassen Street.
The motion to waive the lease payments for the four-month period was passed during a council video-conference meeting on Monday, June 8. Warman City Councillor Kevin Tooley put forward the motion, saying the PSCC was experiencing a financial crunch similar to what its members are dealing with.
The PSCC had initially approached Warman City Council in early April with a request to waive its monthly lease payments of $422.40 per month. At that time, council referred the matter to city administration for additional information.
Warman Councillor Gary Philipchuk said he supported the motion to waive the PSCC lease payments. Philipchuk noted that the PSCC worked with the Economic Development Officers of Warman and Martensville to provide daily updates and valuable information to business owners during the several weeks the COVID-19 restrictions were in place.
“The chamber really stepped up and did some very valuable work,” said Philipchuk. “I think it’s a reasonable request, because it gives them a bit of a break and allows them to move forward.”
City councillors Richard Beck and Trevor Peterson, however, suggested that instead of waiving the lease payments, the PSCC could defer them to a later date.
“I appreciate the work the chamber has done,” said Beck. “But we have to be responsible to taxpayers. The city is already subsidizing the rent on that office.”
At the June 8 meeting, city council also voted to waive one month and defer four months of lease payments for Pro Sport, a private business that leases space in the Legends Centre. The business was forced to close for several weeks due to Saskatchewan Health Authority guidelines.
The City of Warman has several leases with businesses and organizations that operate out of civic facilities, including the Legends Centre, Diamond Rodeo Arena, and the former library building on Klassen Street.
In mid-March, when the city closed its recreational facilities as a result of the provincial health order, several businesses in the Legends Centre and Diamond Arena were also forced to close because they had no separate entrances to the facility. In the case of those businesses, the city waived the rental fees for those businesses for the period the facilities were closed.
However, other businesses with separate entrances did not have their lease fees waived at that time. Pro Sport was one of those businesses.