Federal political hopefuls are dangling the event-centre carrot as the election race winds its way to the Oct. 19 vote.
Surprisingly it was Conservative Moe Comuzzi, running for the second time in Thunder Bay-Rainy River, who made first mention of the controversial city-driven project.
Comuzzi, taking part in a Thursday afternoon question-and-answer session put on by the Thunder Bay Real Estate Board, brought the project up while discussing her party’s $80-billion Building Canada fund, money municipalities can use to pay for large-scale infrastructure projects.
“There’s money at the (federal) government level that we all can participate in – public transit infrastructure, bridges, highways, buildings, Ring of Fire, event centres. All these things create opportunities and create jobs,” Comuzzi said.
Earlier this year the Conservatives turned down the City of Thunder Bay’s request to reallocate gas-tax funding toward the $114-million project, which was to include a hockey rink and a convention centre.
The federal government’s main objection was the inclusion of a professional hockey element in the business plan.
That part hasn’t changed, Comuzzi said afterward, asked for clarification on the party’s stance.
“We can host an amateur hockey club, and that, I think, would be a great idea,” she said.
Candidates for the Green Party, Liberals and NDP all voiced support for the project, which the city has shelved until such time funding is available.
The city was looking for $36 million apiece from the federal and provincial governments, promising to put $42 million of its own money into the project, slated for Thunder Bay’s downtown north core.
When the deal fell through, the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets decided to pull out, instead relocating their American Hockey League farm team to the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.
Green Party MP Bruce Hyer echoed the sentiments of those candidates not running for the Conservatives, saying it’s up to municipalities to decide their infrastructure priorities.
“No matter how I feel about it, it’s my job to go and find the money.”
Liberal Patty Hajdu agreed.
“If the municipality determines it’s a priority, then absolutely,” the Thunder Bay-Superior North candidate said, asked if she’d fight for federal funding for the project.
“The way that I see the role of the MP is not to determine which projects are worthy and which projects aren’t, but to be actually the voice of the community in Ottawa.
"The neat thing about our infrastructure dollars is the municipality will have control over how they want to spend it. They will set the priorities and we will flow the money to the municipality and it will not be a strict portfolio of projects.”
Incumbent Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty said it’s an MP’s duty to ensure that they work as hard as they can to help mayors and councils achieve their visions.
“We intend to not only spend money on infrastructure, but directly to municipalities, without strings attached. In other words, the infrastructure money would come to the City of Thunder Bay. The money would be transparent … and it would be for priorities the city has identified,” the veteran NDP politician said.
