REGINA — Canadian Western Agribition says the show will go on for 2026, with plans for a new building to go up for livestock for the show.
Officials from Agribition, as well as Shaun Semple, president of Brandt Group of Companies, held a joint news conference aimed at clearing the air about the future of Agribition at the location, and in particular about the future of the livestock located there.
The uncertainty had been over the future of the location since the announcement this spring that Brandt was purchasing much of the property at the REAL District from the City of Regina — a deal that Semple reminded reporters on Friday has not yet closed.
A key asset being purchased is Avana Centre, which is a main location for Agribition activities. It is to be repurposed into the home of Brandt Sports and Entertainment, which includes the Regina Pats, the Regina Red Sox and Queen City Distillers.
But those changes will impact the livestock located in a space of 84,000 square feet.
After weeks of speculation, Semple confirmed Friday that Brandt will “construct a new 115,000 square foot structure addition to the International Trade Centre.”
The structure is to be built at the back of the International Trade Centre. Semple said the building will be a “modern, insulated, heated, fully ventilated and equipped structure with utilities that support livestock and major agricultural and other events.”
What it means for Agribition is there is certainty about what will happen with all of the livestock now there.
“The good news with this is that all of the livestock that is on the property today will remain on the property today, which is a great news story for us as especially for all of our trade show partners and our livestock partners and everyone who circles Agribition on their calendar every year,” Kindopp said.
“Today's a big day, as … Agribition 2026 is going to be moving forward full steam ahead. We wanted to give some comfort to our exhibitors and to everyone who travels international as we actually leave next week to promote Regina and Saskatchewan and Canadian genetics in Argentina.”
Officials with Agribition called the announcement a good one for their organization.
“Today is about providing clarity, confidence and a shared vision of what's ahead,” said CWA president Karl Sauter.
Kindopp highlighted the overriding importance of livestock to the entire Agribition show.
“The livestock is who we are,” Kindopp said. “Everything that we do at Agribition revolves around the livestock. It's the nucleus of who we are, the decisions we make, the events that we put on all helps fund the livestock side of things.”
Semple added that the new building won’t only benefit Agribition.
“It will become a permanent improvement to the REAL District that supports conventions, agricultural exhibitions, livestock events and countless other community events for the decades to come. The addition of this new structure increases the footprint of the International Trade Centre by approximately 66 percent, creating a significantly more capable facility for Regina and for Saskatchewan.”
Semple said this project represents an additional investment of more than $8.5 million by Brandt, above and beyond the commitments Brandt has already made to the city in its deal.
As for when it will be built, “I'm pleased to say that our team believes that we can have this facility in place for this year's Agribition, as long as we move quickly,” Semple said.
“When I appeared in front of council, I made the commitment. I said that if organizations like Agribition were affected by this redevelopment, Brandt would work tirelessly to find practical solutions whenever possible. Today is evidence that those were not simply words. They were a commitment, a huge financial commitment. And Brandt intends to preemptively honour that commitment, even though I'm not legally binding to do so, nor do we have a deal done with the city yet to move forward as we're not closed.”
He acknowledged there will be other changes, including construction. He called this a “reality of transforming an aging campus into one that serves the community for the next generation.”
“But I'd ask everyone to remember what's at stake. If we don't invest, if we don't modernize, if we don't make difficult decisions today, we risk losing the very events, organizations, community assets that we're all trying to protect. Our goal is not simply to preserve REAL District. Our goal is to build a REAL District that our children and grandchildren can be proud of to inherit.”
