Troubled Saskatoon motel reopens under new management

A motel that was forced to shut down over unsafe and unsanitary conditions has reopened as the Midtown Inn.

A motel that was forced to shut down over unsafe and unsanitary conditions has reopened as the Midtown Inn.

The Midtown Inn, formerly known as the City Centre Inn and Suites, was forced to close in July 2020.

The Saskatoon Fire Department identified a list of safety issues including: stairs at risk of collapsing, locked exit doors and unmaintained fire alarm systems. Saskatoon police said they received almost 3,000 calls to the motel in the years leading up to its closure.

Pictures from firefighters showed raw sewage in a bathroom and signs of a bed bug infestation.

The Midtown Inn opened last week, under new management. Pictures on an online booking website show a look inside the motel. A room with a double bed is priced at $56 a night.

Land titles documents show the registered owner as a numbered corporation with four voting shareholders and Regina’s Taylor Lee Johnson listed as president, but the mortgage on the property is still held by Empire Investments, the company of former City Centre Inn manager and owner John Pontes.

In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatoon Fire Department said the motel “has moved from a full closure to a partial closure,” with the upper level and back of the inn still closed.