Raise the Hammer

@Sask

The city has a site they are perfectly willing to build Bob Young a stadium. This city (not the Tiger-Cats or the CFL) was awarded the Pan-Am Money and the city is paying the $60 million from their own pocket to build the stadium, the lion's share of the project. The only thing, the ONLY thing they are asking for is the location be at the West Harbour, so that a major public works project can not only remove a abandoned factory where toxic waste is present, can potentially qualify for additional funding for remediating the location, be directly next to a proposed GO Transit station. We're partnering with the city to clean a brownfeild is a PR dream headline! They've looked at all the other sites, it either breaks the city's bank, takes away land that residents don't want to part with or offers next to nothing in the way of remediation or development fringe benefits.

Fine maybe they are being a bit unreasonable, so what has the Team produced to show that this site won't work. Please, link a public study of which the Cats have done to show it's unprofitability. Ok, what other private sector partners are interested beyond the Cats in another site. Please, link another private sector partner who has even talked about interest, yet alone committed to any other site but the West Harbour. At least some members of the private sector have publically voiced support for the West Harbour.

Last but not least, name one other city who is willing to put up $60 million of it's own money, in one of the worst economic climates since the Great Depression to build a new stadium. Talk of Quebec and Moncton is great, but they, the same as Burlington and Oshawa and Missisauge have all said the same thing. You're more then welcome to come here, but don't expect a dime of city money. Heck, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a bank who'd be willing to loan that kind of money for a stadium. It's a shame yes, but blame for this falls not on the city alone.

Comment edited by -Hammer- on 2010-12-23 14:03:41