Following some speculation and concerned murmurings from the local agriculture community regarding Regina’s REAL District and the future of Agribition, Brandt Sports & Entertainment says it is building a brand-new building in the District that will be ready for this year’s Agribition in November.

Over the last few weeks, several agricultural tenants of the District started receiving notices informing them that Brandt had acquired the buildings they resided in. The Saskatchewan Cattle Association spoke up this week, stating that the proposed changes are putting the success of Canadian Western Agribition at risk.

Brandt owner Shaun Semple made the building announcement Friday morning. He was accompanied by Agribition’s CEO Shaun Kindopp, who said “Agribition 2026 is going to be moving forward full steam ahead,” adding that the announcement should bring some comfort to exhibitors and to everyone who travels internationally to be there.

The new build will be 115,000-square-feet and will mean about 37 per cent more space for Agribition , Semple added that it can be in place for November if they move quickly.

He also disputed claims of tenants being evicted from some of the buildings Brandt acquired, noting that they were on month-to-month leases that could be terminated with 30 days’ notice.