Sault Ste. Marie’s main downtown arena may be getting a new name for the masthead.
GFL Environmental, a Toronto-headquartered waste management and recycling company, is being recommended to take over the naming rights for the Essar Centre at a May 28 city council meeting.
A special evaluation committee of city staff picked the company from a short list of three entries.
GFL (Green for Life), which was started in 2007, has local ties.
Its president, Patrick Dovigi, is a Sault native and a former junior league goalie.
The fast-growing company has 5,000 employees and 140 facilities across Canada and Michigan, including an office in the Sault.
With Essar Steel Algoma still under creditor protection and its agreement coming to a close this summer, the city launched a request for proposals process to find a new corporate sponsor last fall.
On the first try, no entries came forward at the Feb. 23 deadline.
On the second attempt, “multiple proponents” submitted naming rights packages by the May 4 closing date, according to a report to council by Brent Lamming, director of community services.
The deal on the table is for 10 years and $750,000, starting Aug. 1.
It’s a mark-down from the 10-year, $1.5-million agreement struck with Essar.
But the added carrot is that GFL proposes a recycling program at the arena offering a 50 per cent discount on all waste, recycling and waste containers over the life of the agreement.
The 4,900-seat arena is the home of the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League.
