Tailgating law fully passed, ready in time for Riders opener

SLGA Minister Warren Kaeding said he’ll be among those out near Mosaic Stadium ahead of the Roughriders’ season opener for the very first day of tailgating.

The bill to allow tailgating was given royal assent on Thursday, passing it fully into law.

“We’re just so looking forward to game day and seeing how creative our Rider fans are going to be in supporting that,” Kaeding said, a few minutes later.

He said the Riders led the activity and were good in partnering with all the stakeholders. He said there were many concerns that had to be mitigated in putting it all together.

“We wanted to make sure that there was responsible use of alcohol, so SGI was a stakeholder in that side. We’ve got kids, we’ve got adults, we’ve got all ages that are going to be involved in this, so we want to make sure that everyone has the best of experience there,” explained Kaeding.

The lottery has come and gone for season ticket holders to snag a tailgating spot in the designated area.

Kaeding said Saskatchewan is the first jurisdiction to allow tailgating at this level – others don’t allow outside alcohol and have restricted space.

He said they wanted to model it on the best fan experiences in North America but he also thinks Rider fans will make it their own.

“We know that Rider fans are very, very creative in how they celebrate the Riders so, I would say, we’re going to make this our own, it’s going to be our own identity,” said Kaeding.

The minister confirmed he’s planning to attend the tailgating on the first day but not whether he would be sporting a watermelon helmet as part of his outfit.