[Welkin]

A report by Equipe-Quebec — a group working to attract the Winter Olympics in 2022 — recommends building an arena. But it also concedes the building would run a deficit unless it attracted an NHL tenant.

According to a study conducted by Ernst & Young, a new arena would bring in $8.4 million a year with an NHL tenant and $7.8 million without a professional club.

The cost of financing and maintaining an arena could be far higher. According to Claude Rousseau, president of Equipe-Quebec, the expenses would be between $36 million and $41 million annually, rendering the building unprofitable for a private business.

Do we have any numbers for the facility in Regina? If the new arena in Quebec is expecting to run a deficit of $27-$32 million each year, with an NHL team, what type of deficit are we expecting from the Regina multi-use facility? Since it will be larger and more expensive than the arena in Quebec, do we expect that the operating expenses will exceed the $36-$41 million they expect to spend in Quebec?