Moose Jaw City Council is going back to a third party to find a naming rights sponsor for the Moose Jaw Events Centre. 

City council voted 7-1, with Coun. Dawn Luhning opposed, to hire Performance Sponsorship Group at a price of $29,000 and a commission of 20 per cent. 

A naming rights committee was struck up earlier this year made up of Mayor Clive Tolley, Coun. Jamey Logan, city administration and the Moose Jaw Events Centre staff. The committee put out a request for proposals for a professional naming rights company, receiving three submissions and they put forward the recommendation to contract Performance Sponsorship Group. 

City council was initially going to contract Performance Sponsorship Group in June, but it was postponed after a group of residents stepped forward to help the committee in awarding the naming rights contract. That search was unsuccessful. 

The request was once again on the agenda at city council's meeting on Nov. 14, but was removed after city administration learned of a party potentially interested in the naming rights. A presentation was given on Dec. 5, however, the interested party was unable to move forward with the agreement. 

"I think it was worth the effort. Now that we've exhausted all of our local opportunities, I think it is the right thing to do to actually contract it out," said Mayor Clive Tolley. 

City Manager Jim Puffalt was optimistic that Performance Sponsorship Group can get a deal done quickly. 

"They believe that they might get the contract and so they've been working towards that end with national firms, nothing local, but certainly national firms have been calling them about our facility. So, again, I think there is a great opportunity and putting some professionals on this I think the investment will be well worth it in the end," Puffalt said. 

The Moose Jaw Events Centre has been without a naming rights sponsor since Aug. 31. The Mosaic Company has held the naming rights to the facility since 2011. The company did not renew its 10-year agreement, which expired on Aug. 31, 2021, but agreed to a one-year extension that ended this year. Mosaic Company's agreement was worth $1.5 million over 10 years.