September 06, 2011
Quebec mayor, Quebecor reach NHL arena agreement
Seven months after announcing plans for a $400 million hockey arena to be paid for entirely with public money — but with plans for the public to get some of its money back via arena revenues — Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume and Pierre Karl Peladeau, president of the communications giant Quebecor, announced yesterday that they'd reached a deal for Quebecor to operate the facility. According to reports over the weekend, the contract would look something like this:
- Quebecor would get full control of the arena through 2040, with an option to extend its rights until 2045.
- Quebecor would get to sell naming rights to the building, and presumably keep other arena revenues as well.
- The company would pay the province $63.5 million up front, plus $4.5 million a year in rent, if it lands an NHL team to play in the arena. Without a team, it would pay $33 million up front, and $2.5 million a year in rent.
Without seeing more details — the agreement is apparently close to 200 pages long, and I haven't been able to find it online — on the face of it this sounds a lot like AEG's lease to manage Kansas City's Sprint Center: The city hands over all arena revenues to a professional manager in exchange for fixed rent payments. And while it looks like Quebecor will be paying a fair bit more than AEG for that privilege, the amount of money headed Quebec City's way is still a pittance compared to its costs: Even if you ignore the $200 million that the province is putting in for construction costs, $63.5 million in a lump sum plus $4.5 million in rent is still going to leave the city losing several million dollars a year on its own $200 million construction debt.
And that's if Quebecor even bothers to bring in an NHL team — making their rent higher if one is present certainly isn't a good way of incentivizing their new arena managers to bid high to lure, say, the New York Islanders.
The Quebec city council is scheduled to vote today on the arena deal, and is expected to approve it. Hopefully at least the council meeting will shed a little more light on what exactly they're agreeing to.
June 06, 2011
Quebec considers bill to block arena lawsuits
Add Quebec to the list of cities that could face legal challenges to their arena deals on the grounds that they did an end run around proper public process. Former city official Denis de Bellevale and another city residents filed suit last week charging that the city's $400 million arena plan is illegal because media giant Quebecor was given the rights to manage the building without an open bidding process.
[De Bellevale] said the deal amounted to cash pay-out to Quebecor of $40-million a year for the next 20 years.
"The futility and the absurdity of this financial package is enough to scandalize even the most hardened capitalist," Mr. de Bellevale told the committee.
That committee, by the way, was one holding a National Assembly hearing (the National Assembly being, logically enough, the government of the province of Quebec — o, you wacky Canada!) on Thursday on a bill that would explicitly block the lawsuit by declaring the Quebecor contract as "deemed not to contravene" provincial law. Mario Bedard, who's leading a drive to raise $40 million for the arena via seat pre-sales, testified that getting the provincial government to change its laws for the project was necessary because, as the Montreal Gazette described it:
Bedard said Seattle, Houston and Las Vegas also want NHL teams and that the failure to adopt Bill 204 would cast doubt over Peladeau's bid, hurting Quebec City's chances.
That's right: Seattle doesn't even have an NHL-ready arena or any serious thoughts of building one, but it's already being waved as a threat to steal Quebec's as-yet-nonexistent team. I mean, if you're going to go that route, why not say that Quebec has to change its laws to avoid losing an NHL team to Chattanooga or Walla Walla? At least they're more fun to spell.
March 25, 2011
Vegas arena plans, Anaheim Kings subsidies, and more
A few items that fell through the cracks over the last week:
- Those plans for a tax-increment-financing-funded arena on the Las Vegas Strip got officially killed last week by the Nevada legislature — which then immediately expressed its intention to put a different arena plan on the ballot in 2012.
- The Anaheim city council is considering paying for upgrades to the Honda Center if the Sacramento Kings move there. No word on how much the renovations would cost, how they would be paid for, or why the city would have any reason to pay for them in the first place.
- Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. reiterated his call for a new hotel near the Yankees' stadium to help bail out those money-losing parking garages. Diaz presumably is more interested in using the garage fiasco as leverage to get more development for his borough; why city taxpayers should want to throw good money after bad is another question...
- A Canadian government analysis projects that for the federal government to pay for a Quebec hockey arena and a Saskatchewan Roughriders stadium, it would require ticket taxes of as much as $42 per ticket to pay off construction costs. That sounded crazy to me at first, but given that we're only talking about a million fans a year (combined NHL and CFL), it actually makes sense: A $42 ticket tax would generate $42 million a year, which is about enough to pay off $600 million in costs spread across two stadiums. It would also be insane, of course, but it's a good reminder of why teams don't generally jump to build stadiums with their own money — new sports facilities face a hugely uphill battle to earn back their own construction costs.
March 15, 2011
Liberal Party: We'd fund Canadian sports arenas
Canada's Liberal Party is now trying to use the Quebec arena fight to score political points, as party leader Michael Ignatieff has declared that he'd be happy to provide federal funds for the project — or, for that matter, sports stadiums and arenas in other parts of Canada — if only he were, you know, prime minister:
"It's not a question of giving little gifts here and there," he said. "I think the project is important because it's a public space. That's what counts, a public space to present the culture, to present the economic success of the region.
"And if the same case arises in Regina or Vancouver I'll say the same thing ... If we're talking about a public space that contributes to the development of that region, then the federal government can contribute."
"A public space that contributes to the development of that region" — that's a pretty broad category, considering how far stadium boosters like to stretch the meaning of public benefit. And it's a way more lenient standard than that used by the federal P3 fund, which in any case explicitly excludes sports facilities for consideration.
The real goal, presumably, is to woo Quebec voters who are steamed that the feds aren't going to be chipping in to try to bring a new version of the Nordiques back to their city. Whether it plays as well in the rest of Canada — where, let's not forget, the prospect of federal subsidies to NHL teams previously prompted an all-out citizen revolt — is another story.
March 07, 2011
Quebec arena federal funds still dead, Quebec-Canada fight lives on
Quebec City may have decided to move ahead with hockey arena funding without federal help, but that doesn't mean local officials are going to end their war of words with the feds. Last week, Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume called the decision not to provide federal funding "suicidal" for the federal government — which was followed by more controversy when the feds blacked out most of the documents explaining their verdict before turning them over to the press. It doesn't look like anything is going to change any funding decisions here, or the fate of the Quebec arena or the return of an NHL team to Quebec, but it's fun to watch, anyway.
February 10, 2011
Quebec: Screw it, we'll just pay all $400m for an NHL arena
Not even three weeks after declaring that he'd look for a new source of funding for a Quebec hockey arena, Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume announced today that the source would be ... himself. Okay, really his city's and province's taxpayers. Ladies and gentlemen, your Plan B:
Quebec's government Thursday announced it would pour $200 million into a new coliseum in Quebec City, whose raison d'etre is drawing back a National Hockey League team, something the NHL has warned is not guaranteed.
It amounts to a near 50-50 financing arrangement with Quebec City for the estimated $400 million venue, placing the burden almost entirely on taxpayers.
"An arena financed with 100 per cent public money is unacceptable," said Claire Joly, executive director of the Quebec Taxpayers League. "There are a lot of people who want an arena and a hockey team in Quebec City, but not at any price."
The risk for Quebec City is going up dramatically. It had originally committed $50 million. Now it's on the hook for $187 million. (A group of citizens has raised $13 million to "reserve" seats in the new venue.)
The federal government hasn't ruled out chipping in as well, but nobody's holding their breath that they'll do so, especially not when the latest idea floated — allowing cities to use existing federal gas-tax payments on arenas — drew jeers from city officials, who rightly point out that allowing them to use money they already have isn't much of a federal subsidy. Meanwhile, that offer from Quebecor's Pierre Karl Peladeau to put in "tens of millions of dollars" was apparently rejected, as neither Labeaume nor Quebec Premier Jean Charest said anything about private money.
What they did indicate, though, was that in exchange for paying 100% of the arena costs, the city and province would be looking to get a cut of the vig. From the Globe and Mail:
Future private revenue from the Quebec City arena will be evenly split between the city and the province. This includes the commercial naming rights for the building, marketing revenues, and operating rights. All of this could total several million dollars a year, according to the mayor.
That's all well and good, and it's nice to see elected officials putting naming rights money in the "taxpayer" pile instead of letting teams get away with considering it their private stash (something they do even when the building the name is going on is owned by the public). Still, "several million dollars a year" is going to be a drop in the bucket in paying off $400 million in arena bonds, unless 30 counts as "several" in Canada. And that's even assuming that a team relocating to Quebec — remember, this arena doesn't have even a glimmer of a tenant yet — agrees to turn over those revenues to its public landlord.
All in all, it's a stunning amount of money for public officials to commit, especially in a nation which doesn't have nearly the same history of funneling taxpayer dollars to sports teams as the U.S. And to do it on spec, without a team in place — as I've noted before, you might as well stick a "kick me" sign on your back.
January 28, 2011
Harper on Quebec arena funding: Wait for it...
So much for Plan B: The administration of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper now says it will consider federal funding for a Quebec hockey arena — but it wants to hear more details first.
"My Quebec caucus colleagues and I support the amphitheatre project and the door is not closed with the federal government, far from it," Harper's political minister for Quebec City, Josee Verner, said yesterday. (She was speaking in French, which is presumably why she said "amphitheatre.")
Harper, you will remember, said just last month that no federal funds would be forthcoming. The change of heart was apparently sparked by Quebecor owner Pierre Karl Peladeau's promise of "tens of millions of dollars" towards an arena.However, Verner added that the government needs to see details of Peladeau's plan before it can move forward: "We do not have everything we need."
In the meantime, Quebec City officials plan to spend the next six to nine months evaluating the projected $400 million arena cost. Can you say, "Stall until the threat of an election is over"?
January 24, 2011
Everybody's got a Plan B for Quebec arena
Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume declared last week that he's given up on federal funding for a new hockey arena, and "it's time to move on to Plan B." And what would that Plan B be, Postmedia News?
He declined to give details on the so-called plan B, but has said the city could increase its financial contribution to the project.
Given that the city has currently only proposed chipping in $50 million, and there's a $175 million funding gap, that'd have to be a hefty increase.
Likewise, Quebecor media titan Pierre Karl Peladeau announced last night that he'd be willing to put "tens of millions of dollars" in private money into the project, which likewise sounds more impressive when you don't take into consideration that the whole shebang is supposed to cost $400 million. Also, Quebecor would likely want the right to manage the arena as part of any deal, which means it could end up recouping its money via a cozy lease with the public owners. No way to say for sure, as Peladeau said he wants to "keep these talks private," which is no doubt why he announced their existence to a reporter for the Globe and Mail.
December 27, 2010
Stadium news from around the snowy globe
Slowly getting back up to speed here — it still looks like this outside. Let's start with a quick news roundup:
- Quebec Mayor Regis Labeaume has set a December 31 deadline for getting funding in place for a new NHL arena, but that surely ain't happening, especially not with Prime Minister Stephen Harper having pretty much ruled out using federal cash for sports facilities. Labeaume said earlier this month that he had a "Plan B" for arena financing, but according to a federal government negotiator, "right now we have nothing on the table."
- The 49ers signed a lease extension committing them to play in whatever the hell Candlestick Park is called these days through the year 2014. This isn't really much of a surprise given that team officials had already pretty much said a new stadium in Santa Clara couldn't open until 2015 at the soonest. But it is a reminder that leases are made to be extended.
- It looks like that plan for San Diego to build a new Chargers stadium with TIF district dollars isn't likely to happen, now that everyone involved has noticed that there isn't enough redevelopment district money left to build both a stadium and other planned projects. TIF money could still be a piece of the puzzle, of course, but somebody's going to need to find some more cash before any San Diego stadium deal can proceed.
December 21, 2010
Harper: No Canadian funds for arenas unless Olympics involved
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued his backpedaling from federal funding of sports facilities yesterday, telling the QMI news service that he doesn't intend to put public money into a new Quebec hockey arena. "Historically, any federal involvement in this type of project is minimal, modest," said Harper. "If we were to change that it would create a demand in every big city across the country." Yes, so you've said.
Harper did leave one loophole, however: He would consider arena funding if it were part of an Olympic bid. So now all Quebec has to do is win a Winter Olympics bid and ... oh, dear.
December 02, 2010
Oilers execs meet with Quebec officials, swear they're just friends
Apparently it's actually "Allude to Move Threats, Then Deny Them" week: The Toronto Sun reported yesterday that Edmonton Oilers execs were meeting with officials in Quebec City about their new arena plans, quoting Oilers president Kevin Lowe as saying: "Just the fact that we're meeting Mayor Labeaume to discuss possibilities, the sky is the limit. Exchanging ideas is the main goal of the meeting."
Both Oilers president Patrick LaForge and team VP Bob Black immediately denied that the team was exploring a move to Quebec. Black said it was just "a fact finding mission" to "learn from the Quebec City experience and bring back insights that will help move the process forward here in Edmonton. Added LaForge: "We're both building facilities and we're both trying to get them off the ground and we have a hockey team and perhaps they don't here, but there is no reason for that to be drawn together....and we are not planning to move the Oilers at this time."
That mostly put an end to the move speculation, though as Edmonton Journal sportswriter (and Edmonton arena project supporter) David Staples noted of LaForge's statement, "Carefully worded, but I can't say I appreciate the 'at this time' part of the quote." Though, of course, that could be careful wording as well. A savvy negotiator creates leverage.
November 26, 2010
Canadian sports subsidies less likely after Harper kills Edmonton Expo
The prospect of Canadian federal subsidies for stadium and arena projects got murkier again this week. Though Prime Minister Stephen Harper still officially remains mum on the possibility, professional tea leaf readers agreed that Harper's decision to reject federal funding of Edmonton's plans for a 2017 Expo sends a signal that he won't, as previously tea-leaf-read, come up with some kind of subsidy plan to placate Quebec hockey advocates, and then more money to placate those in other Canadian cities who'd be jealous if Quebec got money and they didn't.
As a result, all the Canadian sports teams with their hands out are scrambling to come up with new funding strategies, or at least new attempts at spin:
- Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume immediately declared that he's "always said I have a plan B" and "will implement that plan if necessary." He didn't say what the plan B was, though, and said he still hoped for federal funding for a new hockey arena.
- Saskatchewan provincial cabinet minister Ken Cheveldayoff insisted that "I don't think there's any parallels that can be drawn" between the Edmonton Expo plans and his province's plans for a new Roughriders stadium in Regina, and that he still hopes for about $100 million in federal funding. Saskatchewan is asking for money from the federal P3 Canada Fund, which subsidies public-private partnerships — but which also specifically excludes "facilities used primarily by professional athletes." To get around this, the province is arguing that it would be building a $431 million domed stadium primarily as a "community recreation and entertainment facility," and that the Roughriders playing there wouldn't be its primary use.
Now word yet that I can find on how the Harper move is likely to affect the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Blue Bombers funding battles, but I'm sure that's coming soon.
October 06, 2010
Wannabe Quebec owner: I'll chip in for arena, maybe
Well, that didn't take long: No, the NHL still hasn't blinked in its demand for a $400 million arena as a condition of reviving the Quebec Nordiques, but it looks like the team's prospective owner may have:
Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau made an about-face in Ottawa Tuesday, saying he could participate in the financing of an amphitheatre in Quebec City to bring a professional hockey team to the provincial capital.
When asked as to whether he'd changed his mind after earlier refusing to finance an arena, Peladeau said Tuesday he is "open" to the idea of participating in building a new multi-purpose arena in Quebec City, welcoming both sporting and cultural events.
Now, Peladeau didn't put a price tag on how much he'd be willing to commit to the project — or what he'd want in return. And it's possible that he's just trying to kick-start arena talks that are otherwise generating headlines like this. But hey, it's better than nothing, which was what Peladeau was offering last week.
October 05, 2010
Quebec rallies for NHL, but arena fund gap remains
As promised, about 60,000 Quebecois turned out for a "Blue March" on Saturday calling for a new NHL team for the city, to replace the decade-and-a-half-gone Nordiques. "The images that will be sent all across Canada, all across America, are the living proof that the Nordiques are back," said former Nordiques coach Michel Bergeron, to cheers.
Given that the NHL has said there won't be a new Nordiques without a new arena, though, they won't be back until that hurdle is cleared — which means finding $180 million in funding to go along with the $220 million promised by Quebec City and Quebec province. And that's still slow going:
The sale of seat licences, or rights to buy seats in the arena, had raised $12 million as of mid-September. And the figures in an analysis commissioned by the project's promoters suggest that a 20-year contract for naming rights would bring in another $10 million.
Even Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois, one of the politicians who joined Saturday's parade, said the private sector needs to do more. And it's well short of the mostly private investment suggested by Harper's "first and foremost" remark.
But even the promoters' analysis shows that the arena wouldn't be profitable, so significant private investment in it is unlikely.
And polls show that, in the rest of Quebec as well as of Canada, public opinion strongly opposes subsidies for NHL teams.
So basically, we have a standoff, where everyone wants a new team, but nobody's eager to pay the NHL's $400 million ransom. We'll see if the NHL's price comes down as some of its less successful teams get more desperate for a new home, but I wouldn't hold your breath.
September 14, 2010
Harper: Quebec arena funding? Me? Certainement non!
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper backpedaled more furiously away from the growing Quebec arena controversy yesterday, reiterating that the federal government can't afford to build a new arena, especially when it'd really mean funding new buildings for franchises across Canada:
Harper said Monday he wants to "be clear" about his view on the matter, noting that his government has received "demands for new infrastructure for NHL and CFL teams" from across the country.
"Our position has been clear," the prime minister said.
"We're all fans of professional sports. We know they're important to our communities, but professional sports are first and foremost the responsibility of the private sector, and if there is to be any role for the federal government, first of all, that role would have to be equitable across the country, treat everybody the same. And it also has to be affordable, recognizing that this country is going to be moving into a period of fiscal restraint."
National Post columnist Don Martin (no, not that one) says that Harper was forced to speak out by an upcoming "caucus meeting tomorrow to face MPs privately blistering with unusually harsh feedback from their ridings, particularly in his party's Western Canada base." Martin insists that funding a Quebec arena is unsellable outside of Quebec, and that Harper must reject the idea or face political doom.
Harper didn't outright slam the door yesterday, though, and the Edmonton Journal's David Staples floats one way that Harper could provide arena funding without it looking like arena funding: Set up a special "infrastructure fund" that local governments could use for anything from transportation projects to sewer upgrades to (cough, cough, mumble) hockey arenas, and then leave it up to the cities to decide what to spend the money on. A similar federal program in 1993, notes Staples, ended up providing $15 million for adding luxury boxes to the Oilers' Rexall Place.
Of course, $15 million is a lot less than the $180 million that Quebec arena backers are demanding. And if the controversy over using stimulus money for stadiums in the U.S. is any precedent, it's not like Harper would be able to duck the Quebec arena debate entirely. He might be able to fob it off on local Quebec politicians, though, which from his perspective could be just as good.
September 13, 2010
Canadians line up to oppose, support Quebec arena funding
And the Quebec hockey arena debate surges on unabated:
- The head of the Canadian Olympic committee wants the arena funded, because he thinks it'll help a future Winter Olympics bid.
- Conservative MP Maxime Bernier broke with his fellow Quebec Conservatives and opposed the arena plan, saying while he too dreams of the NHL returning to Quebec City, "dreaming does not make the hard financial reality go away."
- Edmonton Oilers president Kevin Lowe endorsed the Quebec arena plan. Acknowledging that some might see this as self-serving since his team is looking for arena funding as well, Lowe said, "People have got to get off that."
- The Sun newspaper chain that prominent Liberal MP Bob Rae had endorsed federal subsidies for a Quebec arena, so long as other cities get funding as well. However, Liberal blogger Jeff Jedras, who knows Rae on Facebook, reports that in fact Rae's position is "You can't just dole out money to a commercial arena in Quebec without understanding the implications for the rest of the country." Jedras also notes that the Sun is owned by the guy who wants to buy a Quebec NHL team but wants somebody other than him to pay for an arena.
- Lots of other economists and columnists are lining up against the arena funding plan, to which Edmonton Journal columnist David Staples replies that "I'm not enamoured with the new orthodoxy that no public money should ever go into these facilities." Of course, there's a big difference between "any" public money — even I don't oppose the public ever spending anything on stadiums and arenas, so long as they get something of equal value in return — and "all" public money, as would be the case in Quebec.
September 10, 2010
Canada PM Harper: If we buy Quebec an arena, everyone will want one
Even as Quebec elected officials were donning Quebec Nordiques jerseys to push for government funding of an arena that could lead to the return of an NHL team to that city, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper edged away from committing to provide federal money for an arena, as local officials have requested. The problem, he says, is that it would risk opening the floodgates:
"You know, in terms of financing any of these things going forward, we're going to have to respect the precedents we had in the past and be sure any treatment we're prepared to give to one major city we're prepared to give to all," he said. "Obviously we'll be looking at our options in that context."
Beyond funding the Quebec City arena, Harper is facing questions about whether he will provide money to build a new stadium for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
"Whatever we do in these two cities, we have to be prepared to do everywhere," Harper said. "Ultimately, professional sports teams themselves have to be sound business propositions."
That's all pretty vague and noncommittal, obviously, but the simplest way of reading the tea leaves is that Harper wants to find a way to keep his Quebec MPs happy, but is wary of busting the budget to do so. Some observers have suggested that he could allow provinces to take federal infrastructure money that they're already set to receive and use it for sports facilities; that would leave the provinces short of money for actual infrastructure, but at least it'd make it their problem, not his.
In any case, if Harper does move ahead with some sort of subsidy plan, it would make for a huge shift in Canadian sports stadium financing, which has traditionally relied mostly on private money. This is one that bears watching closely, on both sides of the border.
September 08, 2010
Quebec offers to pay 45% of arena, asks Ottawa to match it
The huddling is over, and Quebec officials have emerged with a challenge: We'll put up $180 million towards a new $400 million Quebec City hockey arena, if the federal government matches our pledge.
Or maybe, if you read the Toronto Sun instead of TSN, the province of Quebec will put up $180 million, the city of Quebec will put up $50 million, and the feds would put up "the remaining $130 million." Which adds up to ... $360 million? Man, I hate Canadian math.
In any case, despite the happy talk from Quebec City's mayor ("It's major for us — there are now two partners out of three"), this presumably throws the ball back into the court of the federal government, which has previously demurred on getting involved in arena funding. Which is understandable, given that other cities are already lining up to be next should Ottawa open the arena-funding spigot.
My favorite line from this entire thing, meanwhile, comes from Postmedia News:
The firm Ernst & Young put together a business plan for a new arena and stressed the project would be viable but only if the construction costs are not taken into account.
There you have it in a nutshell, ladies and gentlemen: New sports facilities are viable business investments — so long as you're not the one paying for them.
September 07, 2010
Quebec officials huddling today on new NHL arena
Federal government, schmederal government: Regardless of Canada's statement that it won't kick in federal funds toward a new Quebec arena (unless maybe it does), the project to replace the 61-year-old Quebec Coliseum and attempt to lure a new NHL team to replace the Nordiques looks to be moving full steam ahead. Quebec Premier Jean Charest and Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume
are set to meet today to discuss a new arena that would be built with the help of $400 million in public funds from the province.
It's not clear how much the entire arena would cost (though previous reports had $400 million as the total tab), or whether the provincial money would come out of an existing pot or need new taxes to generate it, though it's possible that some of it could be a passthrough of federal funds that Treasury official Stockwell Day hinted at last week.
Also not clear: Would a new arena necessarily lead to a new NHL team? The QMI news service writes that "NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in August any hopes for the Nordiques's return rests in the city completing the project," but Bettman was actually even more circumspect than that, responding to a question about a potential new Quebec team: "Is Quebec City going to have a new arena? Because I can't even begin to think about a team back in Quebec City until there's going to be a new arena."
In other words: Build it, and then we'll talk. Maybe. So long as your prospective owner isn't on my shit list.
August 30, 2010
Canada official: No money for Quebec arena, except for maybe money for a Quebec arena
First line of a story in Saturday's Montreal Gazette:
Quebec City shouldn't look to a deficit-fighting federal government to help fund a new arena that would enable it to lure back a National Hockey League franchise, Treasury Board President Stockwell Day said yesterday.
Four paragraphs later:
Day did allow that federal money could possibly go toward funding a new NHL-calibre arena. "Different municipalities have different plans in terms of infrastructure and I can't comment directly on those plans," he said.
Boi-oi-oi-oing. Even after scouring the Internet, I haven't found any indication of what the heck Day meant: That federal money could be used for arena infrastructure, but not for an arena itself? That Quebec City could use existing federal revenue streams, but not ask for new money? Any native Canadian speakers who can help me out here?
In any case, it looks like the plan to lure the NHL back to Quebec with a new $400 million publicly funded arena is alive again. Or not.
October 20, 2009
Quebec floats $400m arena, all with public money
Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume says he wants to build a $400 million arena to lure the NHL back to his city for the first time since the Nordiques left for Denver in 1995. He doesn't want to pay for building it, mind you — Labeaume has offered to kick in $50 million, but is expecting the provincial and federal governments to pay for the rest, saying they've spent similar sums building sports facilities for other cities. (Nothing's leaping to mind that was of that scale, but maybe Labeaume has a lenient notion of similar.)
"The current Colisee is a relic from another era," said Labeaume. "The time has come to offer our population a modern arena... A modern nordic city needs a modern arena." (I know, I know — presumably it made more sense in French.) Ex-Nordiques owner Marcel Aubut chimed in that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told him that a new arena to replace the 59-year-old Colisee was the only way to get the league to return.
No one involved, including Bettman, gave any indication of where a new team would come from &mdash though there are several NHL teams thought to be interested in relocating — but Labeaume said construction wasn't contingent on having an actual team to play there. Here we go again...