To the editor:
This is an open letter to city council and administration.
Since most of you seem to feel this Event Center is a great idea, why doesn’t someone explain a few things to us taxpayers? We have been told for years that the event centre will not proceed unless we have all of the needed funds.
We have seen so much financial stick-handling from administration and city council lately, that I think they could all play in the NHL. The proposed provincial funding of $36 million is in question as both MPPs Bill Mauro and Michael Gravelle have said they don’t feel the provincial government should have to contribute more than the federal government.
The federal government isn’t giving us any new money for the event centre. The city said it would be asking for $36 million from the feds. Guess what, they said no.
Does council stop the project as they promised?
Not a chance, my friends.
Now it seems the city has decided to borrow from Peter to pay Paul.
It appears they will take $23 million that is supposed to be allocated to roads and infrastructure over the next 10 years and use that instead. They are now short $13 M from the feds. Does this mean they will have to borrow an additional $13 million to make up the shortfall?
They will already have to borrow $16.9 million. If they run short in the future, will they have to just borrow more? This reminds me of the waterfront; borrow from Phase 2 to finish phase one and allocate cost over runs from Phase 3 to finish Phase 2, etc.
Council says we should do all this today because we have low interest rates. Hey kids, just because the interest rates are low doesn’t mean we need it or can afford to pay for it. I am sure most people don’t buy a luxury SUV because interest rates are low when they work for an Economy car wage.
We don’t have a paying anchor tenant. There is no university hockey, no curling club, nor an AHL hockey team. The city doesn’t even have the federal $23 million yet. I am guessing that it must be forecasted to be paid out over the next 10 years.
Since we are supposed to have all of the needed funds before proceeding, shouldn’t we have the needed $23 million ready? Are they going to divert or allocate funds from many other more deserving projects around the city?
Let’s raise the water rate and toss the extra in the Event Center fund, since we are taking 23 M from infrastructure already. They tell us that the Renew Thunder Bay Fund has $23 million that has been sitting since 2009 while the city borrowed millions to complete Golf Links Road.
I thought widening a main arterial road would be a Renew Thunder Bay project. If memory serves me, I think the Renew Thunder Bay fund grew out of the extra levy/tax allocation when we were paying off our portion of the hospital debt?
Thunder Bay Hydro is now saying the $4.3 million needed to move a substation won’t be a direct cost to the city.
I wonder if the increased infrastructure costs of $4.3 million may cause our monthly bills to increase a bit.
Parking issues still haven’t been addressed, nor has the moving and rebuilding of the transit depot.
Why aren’t the needed millions for those two projects listed now? Private sector naming rights is going to contribute $9.5 million? Really? Like who?
It won’t be the Target Centre, since they left town after less than two years.
Maybe we could call it the Costco Civic Center? Oh yeah, they aren’t here either.
Who do you think will shell out $9.5 million to put their name on this white elephant? Do you think Wal-Mart would put its name on it? F
inally, we have the owner of the Winnipeg Jets saying he is moving his AHL team to, of all places, Winnipeg.
We have been led to believe it was a slam dunk that they would be moving here. It’s a great move on the part of the owner since all of the Jets fans who cannot get season tickets to the NHL team can at least get AHL hockey in their own home town.
We have our Mayor saying that the owner told him by phone that he would probably move here if we build him an arena.
So does this mean that the City administration, the mayor, and council think the folks from Winnipeg would rather travel here to check out our new event centre than support an AHL team in their own hometown?
Maybe we can build another Canadian Tire store at County Fair while we’re at it. It will generate a lot more high-paying jobs than a hockey rink ever would.
I think we as the taxpaying public, have a right to know what is going on. No more handshakes or gentleman’s agreements.
Let’s see something in writing. We the taxpayers have paid out over $5 million on reports and consultants and we still don’t have any of the money needed and absolutely nothing in writing from any of the stake holders. If there are signed agreements, then share them.
If not, pull the plug already.
Les Austin,
Thunder Bay
