Edmonton Queen riverboat up for auction

The Edmonton Queen is being auctioned off.

One of Edmonton's best-known attractions, thevessel owned by River Boat Inchas taken passengers ontours of the North Saskatchewan River for the past two decades.

Online bidding openedlast week. So far, the Queen only has onlyone interested buyer.

"We have a bid right now of ten grand," said Mickey Spencer with Century Services, which is handling the auction."So I know there will be a new owner."

Ten thousand dollars isthe minimum bid. ButSpencer said he expects bidding to reach six figures, especially in the last 24 hours.

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Low water levelsgrounded the Queenlast year, forcing it tooperate as a stationary restaurant. Half the seasonal staff were laid off.

Spencer said low water levels"might have something to do with" the sale. Headdedthe riverboatwasn't a hugemoney maker and it was just time for the owner to move on.

Still, Spencer sees a bright future for theQueen.

He said the new owner could resume rivertours withdinner on the water. Or they could"anchor it permanently and have the only waterfront restaurant" in Edmonton.

"You'd have one heck of a unique restaurant," said Spencer. "One of a kind in Edmonton, that's for sure."

The adjacent land is owned by the city, which issues a licence for its use.But Spencer said acity licensing department official has told himthey are "very open"to issuing a newlicenceto the winning bidder.

People can sign up to bid online. Bids close May 2.

Thesale doesn't appear to be interfering with the coming season. The Queen'swebsitesays the restaurantwillbe open for reservationsMay 3, a day after bidding closes.