Peter Stoicheff’s Farewell Parties in Dec. 2025 were held at Remai Modern and on campus; this included catered food, a live music tribute and a portrait commemorated in the former president’s honour

Peter Stoicheff served as USask’s 11th President and retired last year after a decade in the role. Stoicheff was commemorated in December 2025 with two farewell parties.

The estimated total of these parties is $60,458.43. The Sheaf calculated this by adding the totals from a heavily redacted 48-page PDF document of receipts and invoices submitted by the university. Based on invoice dates, the Dec. 4 Remai event is estimated to have cost around $44,470.79, and the Dec. 9 event on campus was estimated to cost $15,237.64. The Remai event was significantly larger, featuring a musical performance, the unveiling of a portrait for Stoicheff, numerous speeches and an appearance from Premier Scott Moe. There was also a charge of $750.00, which was unclear which event it belonged to. 

Under the Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, citizens can submit a request to access documents held by Saskatchewan public institutions for a fee of $20. According to the act, institutions that receive the request have 30 days to return the information to the applicant.

Since USask is a publicly-funded institution, The Sheaf filed a request for information regarding the “invoices and total amount of money spent by the university for former President Peter Stoicheff’s farewell party that happened at Remai Modern in December of 2025, as well as the other farewell party for Stoicheff that took place on the university campus in late 2025,” including “the cost of labour hours and the amount of labour hours in total that were spent in organizing these events” and “anything for the cost of these party/farewell activities” for the period of December 2025.

At the end of the 30 days, USask’s Legal Counsel replied and extended the information request by another 30 days, citing section 12(1)(a) of the act, which includes reasons such as that “the application is for access to a large number of records or necessitates a search through a large number of records.” 

A few weeks later, the information was returned in a PDF document. According to USask’s Legal Counsel, the reason much of the document’s prices for services were redacted was because “some of the information contained in the attached records has been redacted because it is personal information or confidential commercial information.” 

In an email to The Sheaf, USask’s Legal Counsel explained “We do not have a record of USask employee time or labour spent organizing these events.” This was asked to cover the number of hours employees spent making the food and setting up for the event, which also cost the university money, although indirectly. 

USask’s Legal Counsel continued, saying, “Please note that these events were funded entirely by unrestricted contributions and by an anonymous donor. These events did not detract from operational funds or student support. The President’s Farewell events were held to celebrate over ten years of tremendous leadership and thirty years with USask. Events such as these also serve as donor and stakeholder engagement initiatives and result in significant benefits to the university.”

The Sheaf followed up on what they meant by unrestricted contributions and what benefits the Legal Counsel was referring to, and they responded that “Unrestricted is defined under our Revenue Recognition [Policies] as neither restricted nor endowed and available for general use. I do not have the additional information you are seeking; I suggest you contact Media Relations with your questions about these donations and engagement activities.”

Unrestricted contributions are not specifically intended for a particular project and are available for use at the discretion of the university. This can be used essentially anywhere the university sees fit. 

The Sheaf also asked USask Communications if there was any effort to minimize costs, and for specific examples, if so. They responded that “In all its activities, the university exercises prudent financial management. Careful and thoughtful spending related to these events was top of mind for leaders and staff involved in planning. One example of steps taken to minimize cost is that there were no meals involved, and refreshments were kept minimal.”

The document confirms that there were no full meals at the event. According to the information received, Hearth Restaurant instead catered appetizers such as 200 orders of “Full Portion Charcuterie & Cheese,” 75 orders of “Crudité & Devilled Eggs,” as well as 25 bottles of “Prosecco, Principi di Porcia” among others various appetizers and refreshments. The prices for these foods and drinks were redacted in the document. 

Since USask’s Legal Counsel claimed that these events “serve as donor and stakeholder engagement initiatives,” The Sheaf clarified with the university if this was the purpose of the event and if it could have been done cheaper, if so. USask Communications replied that “Although donors were invited to the public gathering at the Remai Modern, making connections with donors was not the purpose of either farewell event.”

The Sheaf also asked why there were two farewell parties, and since the event held on-campus was significantly cheaper, why the university decided to hold one at the Remai. The university responded by saying, “Remai Modern was chosen as a venue for a number of reasons. One reason was to recognize the unique memorandum of understanding established between USask and the Remai Modern during President Stoicheff’s time in office … The gathering at Marquis Hall was primarily meant for internal USask stakeholders and as such was held on campus.”

The university stood by its reasoning to hold the parties in Stoicheff’s honor. In a statement to The Sheaf, USask said that “Stoicheff stepping down as the 11th president in the university’s 119-year history deserved this recognition … His departure was an important moment that needed to be recognized.”

According to USask, another part of the costs covered by the events was from an anonymous donor. USask did not specify how much this donor covered.