Will this be a ‘single issue’ election?
I was at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, along with several family members. Rider Pride was instilled into the Donnelly kids (all ten of us), in much the same way that community involvement became a natural part of our vocabulary. All of us share some experience working, volunteering or attending events at Taylor Field. One of my first “jobs” was selling hotdogs in the concession stands when I was 13.
Saturday’s announcement of a signed agreement for a new stadium in Regina was an excellent photo opportunity for Mayor Pat Fiacco, Premier Brad Wall and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. While an earlier press conference provided some numbers, the announcement at the stadium was short and to the point, with few details….”we are building a stadium, bringing vision to reality.”
Rider Pride is, indeed, a phenomenon and there is no question that the team has a special place in people’s hearts. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new venue. One of my brothers was involved in the construction of MTS Centre in Winnipeg, and I’ve seen how much of an impact that venue had on the re-development of that city’s downtown. On the other hand, there are lessons to be learned from challenges that Winnipeg is having with its new stadium, namely the importance of due diligence, and thoughtful adequate planning before you start to build.
There was definitely enthusiasm for the news that was announced prior to Saturday’s game. Would the reception have been as warm had more of the details been shared? For instance, the City’s commitment to a direct contribution of $73 million and to borrow another $100 million from the province. I agree that the increase in the ticket surcharge is necessary to pay down the loan. And I was pleased to learn that a portion of the funding ($25 million) will be raised by the facility’s primary user, the Riders. But one can’t help but pay attention to some of the comments and questions that are being circulated. Many citizens are genuinely concerned about the implications on Regina’s future. What other priorities will be delayed, or sacrificed, in order to meet our obligations to the stadium?
Regina is already facing an impending water treatment facility replacement, a significant pension shortfall, a housing crisis made worse by the lowest rental vacancy rate in Canada, and crumbling infrastructure (roads, pipes, etc). The stadium is not the only pressing need in our city when it comes to recreation infrastructure. A recent report on Regina’s recreational facilities identified almost $100 million in necessary repairs and upgrades required to maintain functionality. Many of these facilities – indoor arenas, the Northwest Leisure Centre, and the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre – are used by Regina families on a regular basis.
This month, City Council will be asked to vote on the new stadium proposal, set to begin construction in 2013 – only six months away (but who’s counting?). People are asking: What will the new stadium look like? Who is responsible for the design and planning? Will there be public consultation into the process? These are valid questions. We need to be wary of repeating the mistakes of cities like Winnipeg. That city rushed through the design/build process and now they are re-designing and re-building, at additional cost. I know the City has had preliminary design work undertaken first for the CP Rail yards and then for Evraz Place. I’ve been asked if there has been a study that confirms whether upgrading our current facility is or isn’t an option.
There’s no question that something has to be done about our aging stadium, but don’t the new end zone sections show us what we can do for significantly less cost? Wouldn’t upgrading the current site allow Regina to preserve the heritage and history and collective pride that we all feel at Taylor Field?
This is our city. All of us deserve a voice in a decision that will have such a huge impact on the future of our city, and on the kinds of choices we will be able to make in the coming years. It appears that our current Mayor is determined to push this project through before the next municipal election on October 24th. It would also appear that this issue has the potential to become the only election issue….and that’s truly unfortunate.
The next City Council will be left with a myriad of significant problems; the largest debt load in our city’s history, an underfunded pension plan, a housing crisis, crumbling infrastructure, fractured relationships with our neighbors in the RM of Sherwood, and growing costs relative to unchecked urban sprawl. I am excited about the growth of our city and the potential we have yet to achieve. Our city has an opportunity to develop a new venue for our provincial sports team, but we also have to make sure we are doing the right thing, not just for sports fans but for everyone in our community. We also need to bring some reality to our vision…we need to be looking at the stadium issue as one piece of a much bigger picture. And not just as a great photo opportunity for our current leaders.
Having said all of that…it was a great game on Saturday…way to go, Riders! Well done!
Let me know your thoughts on the stadium issue. I look forward to having many conversations with people over the coming months leading up to our October 24th election.
Interesting comments. I think some of them are very close to my own.
At a City Council meeting, Councillor O’Donnell remarked that the Riders presented the City with a renovation cost estimate in 2007, of $110M to extend Taylor Field’s usable life by up to 15 years. This is a significant cost saving over $278M, and Council should be considering it since the given #newStadium plan isn’t what was initially pitched or planned for last year even. No dome, and not downtown now, must leave people wondering if the plans selling the project to the public previously, were simply telling people whatever the developers figured we needed to hear in order to get approval. Regina needs a City Council willing to listen to public input, then make the best fiscally responsible decisions for our city, and not for a beloved sports franchise, nor any one or two industries at the expense of our financial security.
I have to say that I agree with everything you are saying here Marion. I’m also wondering why they are building another stadium the exact same size as the current one; or at least the same capacity. I’m also a little shocked how the provincial government can give 80 million dollars for a stadium, yet can’t find a 10th of that money to save the film industry. They are also just going to let the sound stage go to waste. I would like these questions answered but I’m not even sure who to ask about it. What are there reasons?
Hey Kris,
Hope you are well! You are asking some of the same questions I’ve been asking. There are no reasons that make any sense for cutting the film employment tax credit. You and I both know how many talented people have left the province. About 400 of the 700 people who were employed in film in Regina have gone already.
Sad day for our creative sector. Thank you for your support, my friend!
Marian.
I agree. Fiaco and Brad need to take a bigger look at a lot of things. Stay stong Marian and keep looking at the whole picture because somebody has to. Brad a Pat are looking at there legacy oportunities and missing some of the important stuff. I know rider pride is a good thing but so is all families in Regin having a roof over there heads…….
I like what you are saying Marian. It is time to dig deeper and make a decision based on lots of good information. Pat and co.’s plan seems weak and irresponsible to me. We clearly have more real problems than too few stadiums.
The full costs to taxpayers in the 30 year plan to build and operate this stadium is currently estimated at $675 million, an incredible amount of money as far as I am concerned for a stadium that will need to be supported by a limited tax base. It is appalling to me that the taxpayers (the ones footing the overwhelming majority of the bill) are more or less being kept in the dark about the process. We aren’t supposed to ask questions, only “trust” that our elected officials have our best interests at heart.
As far as I can see, there is little evidence that we have sufficiently evaluated all of our alternatives to building a new stadium. As you mention, we were able to get some very nice upgrades to Mosaic stadium for only $15 million dollars. My main question is, why can we not invest another $40 or $50 million to make Mosaic stadium sustainable and comfortable for another 10 or 15 years? Why is that out of the question? That investment would be at a fraction of the cost of constructing and operating a brand new stadium over that same period, even without provincial government support.
I would be happy to support the construction of a new stadium, but when and only when all stakeholders have been considered and consulted, all options and alternatives have been evaluated and the results of that due diligence has been published for public scrutiny by taxpayers. We deserve nothing less!
Marian – you should use this platform to point out the province’s contribution is NOT the $80 million being claimed.
They are also fronting $100 million that may or may not be paid back.
And just the other the bombshell came out that the $75 million they claimed was coming from SaskSport is actually being given by the provincial government to SaskSport who then hands it to the stadium.
The remaining $25 million is said to be from Sponsorships. Over half of the Riders corporate sponsors are provincial government corporations, so that’s another $15 million.
All together, that’s $270 million of provincial taxpayer dollars.
Do you really want to be the mayor of a city that’s currently being boobytrapped with increasing tax bombs like the escalating 4.5% stadium levy plus being tagged with 100% of the city for cost overruns and operating losses?
“And just the other the bombshell came out that the $75 million they claimed was coming from SaskSport is actually being given by the provincial government to SaskSport who then hands it to the stadium.
The remaining $25 million is said to be from Sponsorships. Over half of the Riders corporate sponsors are provincial government corporations, so that’s another $15 million.”
Thanks, I wondered why the Leader Post was now saying corporate sponsorship was closer to $15M not $25.
How much did Mosaic pay for naming Taylor Field?
“On June 23, 2006, the Roughriders and The Mosaic Company announced a 10 year, $3.75 million naming rights deal.” -Wikipedia Hey look it expires the year Taylor Field is now scheduled to be mothballed/demolished.
Of the most ludicrous claims by sitting Councillors, were those by Browne and Fougere who respectively said there was no space to build new housing in North Central and Taylor Field is “not functional”, and that only the new stadium will have expandable capacity to 50,000. Well, Laneway housing would make plenty of room to expand construction in North Central, where alleys are not required now that there are garbage carts instead of dumpsters, and I’ve been to Taylor Field when it has been expanded to more than 50,000 seats.
It should not be so easy for me to provide counterexamples to the Councillors’ supposed logic in spending all this money on a two week old plan.
Well Marian Donnelly has had a couple weeks to respond and she has been conspicuously quiet about the stadium.
She attended council but said and did nothing. Since the meeting, more silence.
It’s too bad, because she could have represented a viable alternative for people in Regina that are tired of being ruled by the old boys club.
When Marian offers to have “many discussions” and says “Go Riders!” brings nothing new to the table – and it might suggest that with Marian we’d just get more of the same: superficial consultation followed by unanimous support for privated profits using public debt.
Hi Voter,
I haven’t been that quiet…I’ve been interviewed by most of the media outlets in the city in the past two weeks and am on record as saying that I think this process has been rushed. I’m not convinced that building a new stadium is the only option to solve the problems with Mosaic Stadium. I would still like to see the option of retrofitting our current facility on the table. I think it’s really important that we understand the entire situation before jumping to conclusions so have been meeting with various people connected to the project to get a better sense of the reasons for the decisions made to date. It’s a huge debt that will be borne by the next generation of our city…and it’s also a significant project that might have a positive impact on our community. But so would a lot of other things that could be done for $675 million… We need to take the time to get the facts, to look at all of the factors, to consider all of the options. In short, I’m not saying “no” to the stadium project, I’m saying “whoa”. Let’s slow down a minute and consider the impact this will have on our city. The citizens of Regina are being asked to contribute a significant portion of this tab, for decades to come. I don’t remember any issue in Regina in my lifetime that has been as divisive as this one as been. We need to stop the “for it or ag’in it” debate, and start understanding all sides of the issues. Putting all of the options on the table, explaining to all of us, the citizens of Regina, the pros and cons of each of those options, and then working through to the best option for the community is one thing that could be done, instead of just communicating different decisions after they are made, as their new communication strategy intends to do. As I have been meeting and talking with many in the community, whether people are for a new stadium or not, they are frustrated and angry with the various different announcements made in the last two or three years. They feel like they have been misled or worse. That’s not a healthy way to engage a community, especially when it is a project of this magnitude.
I think it is a single issue election, but not necessarily a “stadium: yes or no” election. It’s about how our city is managed, and how priorities are determined.
I just want to see the business plan for this. And I’m not happy that a lame duck council is trying to saddle councils well into the future with debt, when there are other priorities (including water/sewer infrastructure, for which rates were raised (I’m good with that), but said rates went into the general fund instead (not good with that).