Write to your government at:

Kevin Doherty
Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport
Legislative Building
Regina, SK S4S 0B3

Although I'd remind you that, in his February 19 letter to me, he re-committed to the provincial government's financial pledge to the Remai Gallery.

The Hon. James Moore
Minister of Canadian Heritage
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0M5 ............ no postage is necessary.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 ................... no postage necessary

The Hon. Denis Lebel
Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities
c/o Infrastructure Canada
Communications
180 Kent Street, Suite 1100
Ottawa, ON K1P 0A6

Premier Brad Wall
226 Legislative Building
Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0B3

From the StarPheonix, January 12, 2013

When Camille Mitchell donated to the Mendel Art Gallery expansion back in 2007 she thought the money would go directly to the gallery named for her grandfather, Fred Mendel. She was surprised, then, when her name showed up on a website listing her as a donor to the Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan - a project she strongly opposes. 

"I don't know where that money went or why I was on that list," the prominent actress said. "I didn't want anyone in Saskatoon to think I was supporting this move." 

Mitchell has been a leader in the movement trying to save the existing gallery and has been funding the group's website at savethemendel.org. When she donated money, she says, it was to help expand and renovate the existing Mendel, not to help fund the building that will replace it.

Read the rest of the article on the StarPheonix website.

An ad hoc "Save the Mendel" lobby is organizing a referendum petition to force a binding referendum on the Mendel/Remai issue.

Our goal: To enlist 240 or so citizens to each obtain 100 signatures, thereby surpassing the required 23,660 total (i.e., 1/10th of the population) as specified by the city clerk.

With 2,600 signatures already on the SaveTheMendel.org website and two media polls indicating roughly 70% of respondents against the proposed Remai Gallery, we anticipate plenty of support for the petition.

If you'd be willing to take a petition sheet, send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Simply provide your name, address, and phone number and we'll get back to you. Meanwhile, please spread the word about this pro-Mendel initiative.

At issue: Would you rather have $4.6-million in civic taxes go to an expanded, refurbished Mendel (see city's 2009 Budget) or $34-million in civic taxes toward the $84-million Remai Gallery (parkade included). That cost-differential would bankroll a new Traffic Bridge - or a lot of road maintenance.

No politician could publicly oppose an initiative that seeks to find out whether or not there's grassroots support for the Remai Gallery. If there is—fine. Let it proceed. If not, the civic administration could then re-direct its energies where it was a few years ago—i.e., to enlarging and renovating the Mendel Gallery on the riverbank—as per 111(1) of The Cities Act.

Please consider taking one of our petitions. It's not too late to stop the un-wanted, un-needed, and unaffordable Remai. And may the voice of the people be heard.

The Mendel Expanded on Spadina : What Our Landmark Mendel Art Gallery could be...

Click on the image above to view a larger version.

An Open Memo to Mayor Atchison.
Click the image to view a larger version. 

By C.J. Cote, The StarPhoenix, October 3, 2012

Anyone who drives past the Mendel Art Gallery can't help but notice on light posts the banners soliciting donations for the new art gallery.

Yet, if one were to drive anywhere in the vicinity of the preferred, and glorified, River Landing location of the Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan, all that is evidenced is construction vehicles, weeds, a parking lot, some white poles that represent waving wheat in the wind, and a lonely, out-of-place entrance gate to nothing.

By Wayne Eyre, The StarPhoenix September 6, 2012

The lead sentence of the story Gallery hits funds milestone (SP, Aug. 31) reads: "The $20-million fundraising target for the Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan has been met."

It has? How? Nowhere in the story does it say how that goal was met. Did the money just fall out of the sky, or is city hall playing some sort of shell game with taxpayers' money?

Letter from Dave Geary, June 13, 2012

The 68 signers of the ad (page E7, June 9 SP) supporting the Remai Gallery of Saskatchewan (RAGS) express a certain viewpoint. However many others, including myself, are anything but excited about the "vision of this project". That's because the Mendel expansion/renovation plan of 2009 includes all the features the Remai promises and then some -  and at a better price and better location - and that plan continues to be a real option.

The structurally sound Mendel building would almost double in size to more than 45,000 square feet. The Grand Gallery would triple in size to 4,600 square feet.And the Conservatory would increase by 40 percent. The expanded and updated Mendel would have the same area of exhibition space as the proposed RAGS, "shell space" excluded. It would be a state-of-the-art world class facility that could serve a city of 500,000 and accommodate large "A list" exhibitions previously unavailable here.

By C.J. Cote, The StarPhoenix March 19, 2012

Demonstrations have occurred over the federal Robocalls issue, while in our backyard the Mendel controversy is causing as much public upset as did the proposal for a downtown casino in 2003.

Media polls and letters to the editor indicate strong opposition to the Mendel closure, the lack of transparency of city officials, and the amount to be spent on the Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan - initially quoted at $54 million and now exceeding $71 million. However, you can't have RAGS without parking, so including the $13 million underground parkade, the total cost is well over $84 million.