Battlefords-area fans of CBC's Dragons' Den will not be happy to hear that local boy-turned-Dragon, W. Brett Wilson, will be leaving the Den.
Wilson, the millionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist originally from North Battleford, is leaving the show after three seasons.
The CBC announced the split Feb. 24, saying the network and Wilson could not come to terms on a new contract.
"We'd like to thank Brett for his many contributions to Dragons' Den over the past three successful seasons and the positive influence he's had on Canadian entrepreneurs," said Julie Bristow, executive director, Factual Entertainment, CBC Television, in a statement on the CBC web site.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to reach an agreement on the terms of his contract. We wish him the best for all of his future endeavours."
As a result, the current season of Dragons' Den episodes, featuring Wilson in his familiar role of assessing pitches from aspiring entrepreneurs, will be his last. There has been no official statement from Wilson about his departure.
During his time on the show Wilson earned a reputation as the "nicest" Dragon, willing to encourage new and fresh ideas. During the current season, Wilson invested $220,000 into Saskatoon-based 3twenty Solutions, a shipping container company led by three young entrepreneurs from the University of Saskatchewan
CBC said the search is on for a new Dragon to replace Wilson. The network said it expects to announce a successful candidate in the coming weeks.
Ppreparations for the sixth season of the popular prime time reality series are now under way. The network confirmed that the other four Dragons - Kevin O'Leary, Robert Herjavec, Arlene Dickinson and Jim Treliving - are all on board for the coming season.
Auditions are also underway across Canada to find contestants ready to make their pitch and withstand the pressure of the Dragons' Den.
Among the stops where auditions will take place will be Saskatoon. Those will take place at the W. Brett Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 9.
