To the editor:
About 10 years ago the Sportsdome Limited Partnership ownership group which consists of a number of local families and 10 or so local investors came together raising approximately $1.5 million of their own money to help improve and subsidize local soccer.
No public funds were ever asked for, none were ever received.
The Sportsdome ownership group purchased then repurposed the former “Golf” Dome to a “Multi-Purpose” Sportsdome, paid the CLE all its back rent then owed from the previous out of province owner and moved forward to renovate the facility to modern standards.
After the dome collapsed in November 2016 the Sportsdome did everything it could to reasonably work with the CLE.
Early in 2017, the Sportsdome gave written notice to the CLE that it fully intended to rebuild its facility.
During 2017, the Sportsdome made four different offers to Soccer Northwest to rebuild for soccer and be ready for their 2017 indoor season.
Soccer Northwest declined all four offers citing that the Chapples facility had somehow been promised to them.
Losing its anchor tenant to the Chapples project, the Sportsdome looked at a variety of other uses for which to rebuild its facility.
The Sportsdome had certain rights under its lease for a process to introduce a new “uses” for the facility
At the time, mid-2017, the Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy was in the middle of conducting their Thunder Bay and Area Food and Agriculture Market Study.
The Sportsdome undertook an extensive investigation and then proposed logically to re-build a Regional Agricultural Food Hub given Soccer Northwest would not support rebuilding indoor soccer fields.
The CLE refused.
The Sportsdome exercising its right under its lease requested mediation for a Food Hub use, the CLE refused.
The Sportsdome exercising its additional right under its lease requested Arbitration for a Food Hub Use, the CLE refused yet again.
The Sportsdome was left with no choice but to request a Judge compel the CLE to deal fairly with its tenant the Sportsdome.
The CLE then abruptly cancelled the lease improperly in our view.
At the time the Sportsdome had all lease monies in trust with its lawyer for the benefit of the CLE, its insurance was fully compliant, all in all the Sportsdome remained committed to completing the clean up and rebuilding. The CLE was fully aware of all these facts.
The matter is now before the courts thus we do not wish to comment further.
The Goal Sports Center team supported by the Lakehead Express Soccer Club is now in the process of expanding from its College Bubble location and attempting to get an additional facility up and running for Oct. 2018.
Robert Zanette,
Thunder Bay
