Quote:
Dexter: No stadium cash right now
Thu, Aug 11 - 4:55 AM
The province isn’t ready to back a stadium in Halifax Regional Municipality, Premier Darrell Dexter said Wednesday.
The province has committed funding for three major projects — the Muskrat Falls subsea power line, a proposed convention centre for downtown Halifax, and to promote a Nova Scotia shipyard for the national shipbuilding bid, Dexter said.
Given those demands, he said the province cannot commit to funding a stadium right now.
"We’re not in a position, at this point, to jump in on the front end, but we leave open the question of the business case that can be made for this kind of facility," Dexter said at a Cole Harbour news conference.
"Maybe at some point in the future, we’ll be able to reassess that. If . . . the economy’s better and we have more money, then more things become possible, but not right now."
Halifax regional council voted this week to proceed with Phase 2 of a stadium analysis. Councillors supporting a stadium, which could cost up to $60 million, say the other levels of government should help pay for it.
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It would be good information to know which Nova Scotia MLA's (including Conservatives and Liberals) do support a reasonably priced stadium. It might be a good idea for HRM area NDP'ers to ask their constituents if they support a stadium. One HRM Councillor said on August 9th, at the HRM Council meeting, that he was surprised to discover that the majority of residents support a stadium.
With the 2% HST increase and if Dexter manages to sink the stadium then he might not get many HRM area votes in the next election. Based on all the boo's that Premier Dexter received when giving speeches at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax, he doesn't seem too popular in the HRM at this time. Just the 2% HST increase alone, might be enough for several NDP MLA's to lose their seat in 2013.
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