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October 29, 2010
Edmonton arena: Is it hot or not?
That "public consultation" on a new Edmonton Oilers arena is coming up in a couple of weeks, and the city has kicked things off with an online survey — because what's more democratic than an online poll? Edmonton residents might have a hard time filling out the poll, though, if their main concern is the use of public money: The questions on whether an arena should be built are separated from those about how to pay for one, even those like "Do you think a new downtown arena should be built in Edmonton?" where the answer might reasonably depend on who's paying for it.
In short, this looks less like a genuine attempt at public input than a kind of electronic push poll, designed to get residents thinking about the arena question in the ways that proponents want them to (not whether one should get built, but how). And non-residents, too, for that matter, given that on the Internet, no polling company knows that you're a non-Canadian dog. We should get a better sense of the real public mood once the arena "open houses" start on November 9.
Aren't Canadians smarter than us Americans? Aren't their politicians more responsive to the wishes of the people?
Tell the owners of the Oilers that they can either (A) pay 100% of the costs to build a new arena or (B) enjoy going bankrupt in Kansas City.
Posted by bevo on October 29, 2010 09:49 PM
Nope, Bevo, we're not... typically, we don't funnel vast quantities of tax money into the coffers of pro sports team owners. We do sometimes build massive stadia with no reason, however (See city of Hamilton, Olympic Stadium, etc).
I'd like to see the city tell Katz just what you've said. But they won't. I think the best we can hope for is a facility that Katz puts minimal money into, but that remains a publicly owned and controlled asset. So long as the city can make enough revenue on events to carry the bonds, ok. But what Katz wants is no (or very limited) financial commitment and full control (including all arena related revenue).
That can't happen. I hope...