City council rewarding the lease for the Hillcrest Sports Centre to Lloydminster-based Golden Ticket Sports hasn't come without some controversy on social media. 

The organizer of one local group has recently spoken out on Facebook, raising concerns that an out-of-town for-profit company was chosen over their local non-profit group. 

Mayor Fraser Tolmie explained that the lease went through the Request for Proposals (RFP) process to find the best fit for the building. 

“We had an RFP process and there was interest from various organizations and groups within our city and their criteria were set in the RFP,” Tolmie said.  

“The best proposal was chosen to represent a reflection of where we want to go for the people. And so, I know that's not always palatable. We have to be open.” 

Tolmie went on to say that, when the city goes through a process like this, they have to look at all of the proposals, even if they are from out-of-town. 

“In contracts that we deal with, say for paving or concrete, we’re bound by NAFTA agreements and so you can't just pick a local organization. Obviously, I like doing that because when you're picking someone local, you know that they are investing into the community,” he said. 

Golden Ticket Sports is expected to put in about $300,000 to renovate the building including renovating the old restaurant/bar area, new paint for the interior and exterior, new tiling for the men’s and women’s locker rooms, new fixtures in the locker rooms and touch up or replace lockers. 

Once finished, Golden Ticket Sports will have a pro-sized basketball court, two large cross-court basketball courts, two regulation-sized volleyball courts, six to eight pickleball courts and an indoor beach volleyball court.