[beyeas]

The thing that is largely missing from the overall public discussion so far is the role of the private sector. All the discussion in the press etc seems to be on how much money and how big a stadium the public sector should put in.

I have no problem at all with the taxpayer only putting forward the funds to pay for a "stadium-lite", as long as the design allows for relatively easy expansion to something in the 25k seat range at least, luxury boxes etc.

We clearly can't expect the private sector in NS to decide to build a stadium for a potential CFL team (the local business climate is just too tentative and risk-averse). But equally, we can't expect public funds to pay for a stadium that is going to in the future be used on a for-profit basis by a CFL team etc etc.

Ideally, these two things would be going on hand-in-hand (and maybe they are in the background for all I know), with the stadium going forward as a public-private-partnership in which each side puts money forward for a full-scale 25k seat stadium right off the bat. However in this specific case I don't see that being feasible, given that governments these days are reticent to be seen to fund stadia for private use. The "out" here is that they will only be seen to put in funds for a stadium capable of meeting the requirements for FIFA and for university usage (e.g. Uteck or even Vanier).

The only way I see us getting a stadium with sufficient seats and amenities for a CFL team is if the private sector steps forward with money, because public money realistically is only going to fund the bare minimum shell. I actually don't see that as a bad thing, and it is entirely possible that the private side is just waiting to see if the public will fund the basic structure, and then a private/corporate will step forward and take it further (likely through future expansion as part of a bid for a CFL). I really wish we were hearing more from the private sector during this though, as I would like to know if there is the will in the private sector to put in the money needed for a CFL quality stadium.

Just my 2 cents.