Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[ToxiK]

Originally Posted by ericmacm

Montreal was not left out in the World Cup, they initially wanted to host but had to withdraw because the province didn’t want to pay for it.

The city, not the province, pulled the plug. I dont like Projet Montréal, the political party in charge now, but they were right to desist. The cost was way to high for a few games and it was demanded that no other major events be held at the same time in Montréal. Montréal did not want to cancel festivals and other events to please FIFA.

[elly63]

Photos of Olympic Stadium in September





The removal of the technical ring is nearing completion (Phase II)

[Calgarian]

That stadium has to be the biggest money pit in the country!

[EpicPonyTime]

Cost aside, the entire process to rebuild Olympic Stadium and lift the new roof into place is such an impressive undertaking. I hope people will take a moment to appreciate it when they’re watching Taylor during her next world tour.

Originally Posted by Calgarian

That stadium has to be the biggest money pit in the country!

Idk Danielle Smith seems pretty eager to take the crown with her government-built pipeline.

This joke is topical, don’t be mad.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I mean they just spent hundreds of millions of dollars to make SkyDome not be a football/soccer stadium. Of course they could spend millions more to convert it into only a soccer/football stadium if there was a reason to. They'll never make it NFL suitable, about 10,000 seats too few for that. And BMO seems to serve the purpose now for soccer and football, so I'm not really sure what the point of renovating SkyDome into that again would be.

I believe the plan was that the Jays would be into something new mid to late 2030's, not sure if that will still be Rogers' plan or not after they have seen how well the renovations have been received. They can stay there as long as it suits them and makes them the money. Off the top of my head, there are only 5 older MLB parks and one of them is in the early stages of planning to be replaced (KC). The Jays are really in the perfect location, it's going to be hard to come up with something as perfectly located as that. But short of another pandemic, I can't see them vacating for 2 or 3 seasons to demolish and rebuild on that site. But then again, who would have thought 2 other teams would play in AAA parks long term like the Rays and especially the A's, so who knows. I do believe Toronto needs a roof. Its not about snow, it's about rain. Doesn't have to be a closed environment like the dome is now, but at least sheltered, like Seattle.

I just think it would be a crying shame to see them demolish it just to build a new domed stadium on top of where SkyDome used to be. SkyDome is sorta like Toronto's Coliseum/Pantheon with all the concrete and the dome itself. It's an impressive structure and have a great presence on the skyline. I really don't think the Jays owners want the team to play in Buffalo for 2 seasons while the new ballpark is being built... so the only way to avoid that is to build the stadium elsewhere else, as I don't think they have enough room at the current site to do something like what they did with the new Yankee Stadium.


Does Toronto really get that much rain? Like Seattle must be a lot rainier, and they don't even have a full roof setup. Cleveland must have a pretty similar climate to Toronto, and they have an open roof stadium. I just think it's nearly impossible to beat the vibe of an open air stadium.



There's gotta be somewhere in downtown Toronto where an open air ballpark could rival Pittsburgh's best view in all of baseball.


As for what to do with SkyDome if a new ballpark is built elsewhere in downtown Toronto... I still think converting it to football/soccer could be a worthwhile endeavour, and keep a historic sporting venue open for many more decades to come. Would be a shame just to see it demolished when it could be repurposed for football/soccer.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by elly63

The answer would be no. TFC will not play on artificial turf and the cost of growing turf indoors would be prohibitive as the Jays already studied it and did not move forward.

Also the SkyDome is too big for their needs and the seating is not optimal for rectilinear sports.

I wouldn't exactly call it growing turf indoors, like the roof is retractable, maybe they could use some mirrors or something to get sunlight to the shaded parts, and/or giant grow lights at night.

I bet the results of that study by the Jays told their ownership whatever they wanted to hear...



While the current seating arrangement might not optimal for rectilinear sports, that could be changed in a complete re-design. I think it would be prudent to prioritize seating for soccer, and not Canadian football in a complete re-design, as let's be real, association football (soccer) is a much more popular sport in Toronto now than Canadian football is.

I don't think 50k+ football/soccer stadiums are too big Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, even if there's no chance of any of those cities ever getting NFL teams. 50k might be pushing it for MLS teams, but I think eventually a 50k+ stadium could be filled for soccer matches on a regular basis in all three of those cities. Plus, it would be good for international/ club friendlies, and other important games for the national team to have 50k+ stadiums in both Toronto and Montreal.

Originally Posted by elly63

Don't look for regular season football or soccer either, there could possibly be early/late season games or winter friendlies.

Just read an article on BC Place, apparently they are successful enough that they could lose the Whitecaps who are talking about a new stadium and get along ok. It got me to thinking Olympic Stadium could do ok as well without a major tenant.

I think there will be many regular season Montreal Football club matches at Olympic Stadium once the renovations are complete... and maybe even the Football Club Supra du Québec would play some of their games there too, like if they make the playoffs or the CPL finals or something.

I think Montreal has the potential to develop the best soccer culture in all Canada (if it doesn't already have it) as Montreal has the most newcomers from French speaking African and Arab countries (where association football (soccer) is by far the most popular sport).



Club de Foot Montreal playing at Saputo Stadium with Olympic Stadium in the background is already weird as it is.

If Olympic Stadium gets a proper redesign for football/soccer, then the goal should be for CF Montreal to play most of their matches there, and for Saputo Stadium to become their training facility.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

let's be real, association football (soccer) is a much more popular sport in Toronto now than Canadian football is.

Do you know what the average game crowd is in Toronto? 21,374 (and that's after their best two attended games of the year). All the fans of TFC are at the stadium. The new car smell is off the MLS

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

I don't think 50k+ football/soccer stadiums are too big Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, 50k might be pushing it for MLS teams, but I think eventually a 50k+ stadium could be filled for soccer matches on a regular basis in all three of those cities. Montreal.

I think you are letting your dreams get ahead of reality again. Vancouver's average attendance is about the same as Toronto and Montreal is around 16k. You can't be in Olympic Stadium with that low a number

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

I think there will be many regular season Montreal Football club matches at Olympic Stadium once the renovations are complete.

If Olympic Stadium gets a proper redesign for football/soccer, then the goal should be for CF Montreal to play most of their matches there, and for Saputo Stadium to become their training facility.

You weren't listening err reading, those teams (Toronto/Montreal) that are presently playing on turf are not going to start playing on artificial turf . The players and fans won't accept that except under special circumstances (early/late season) where the turf is not in good condition or there is very cold weather. I thought you were a soccer fan. You should be vehemently against artificial turf

[elly63]

nm

[elly63]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Does Toronto really get that much rain?

The contemporary impetus for building an enclosed sports venue in Toronto came following the Grey Cup game in November 1982, held at Exhibition Stadium.

The game, in which the hometown Argos were making their first Grey Cup appearance since 1971, was played in a driving rainstorm that left most of the crowd drenched. As many of the seats were completely exposed to the elements, thousands watched the game from the concession section. To make a bad experience worse, the washrooms overflowed.

In attendance that day was Bill Davis, the Premier of Ontario, and the poor conditions were seen by the largest television audience in Canada (over 7.862 million viewers) to that point. The following day, at a rally for the Argos at Toronto City Hall, tens of thousands of people who attended the game began to chant, "We want a dome! We want a dome!"

Seven months later, in June 1983, Davis formally announced a three-person committee would look into the feasibility of building a domed stadium at Exhibition Place.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

Does Toronto really get that much rain? Like Seattle must be a lot rainier, and they don't even have a full roof setup.

Seattle has a full roof, see below. What it isn't is an enclosed, climate controlled stadium like SkyDome. It's still open at the side. Basically an umbrella effect.

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

While the current seating arrangement might not optimal for rectilinear sports, that could be changed in a complete re-design. I think it would be prudent to prioritize seating for soccer, and not Canadian football in a complete re-design, as let's be real, association football (soccer) is a much more popular sport in Toronto now than Canadian football is.

The Jays/Rogers just spend hundreds of millions doing the exact opposite of that.

It's not rearranging deck chairs, it's demolition and replacement of concrete and structural steel. There has a be a business case for that. 80 something games in a Big 4 American league must meet that, but 20 (?) soccer games or 10 football games will not.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

Cost aside, the entire process to rebuild Olympic Stadium and lift the new roof into place is such an impressive undertaking. I hope people will take a moment to appreciate it when they’re watching Taylor during her next world tour.



Idk Danielle Smith seems pretty eager to take the crown with her government-built pipeline.

This joke is topical, don’t be mad.

Pipelines generate revenue at least, the Big Owe has no anchor tenant to generate revenue, complete waste of money.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Pipelines generate revenue at least, the Big Owe has no anchor tenant to generate revenue, complete waste of money.

Wrong. Article with BC Place, part of which details how they would get along if the Whitecaps were to move.

Why B.C. Place won't keep the grass growing after FIFA World Cup
Patrick Johnston theprovince.com September 27, 2025

[Calgarian]

If the Whitecaps left, the Lions would still play in BC place, so there would still be more tenants than the big owe! I love how you guys keep trying to use BC place to justify burning piles of money in that silly stadium.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

If the Whitecaps left, the Lions would still play in BC place, so there would still be more tenants than the big owe! I love how you guys keep trying to use BC place to justify burning piles of money in that silly stadium.

The Lions would be only be around 10 dates. You have no specifics other than the same old generalized hate. Kind of useless to be going on about that now that the roof replacement is well underway.

Part of the reason for the roof replacement was missing out on dates for one quarter of the year because of the unreliability of the roof. There are many events we don't think of that could use that kind of space. I believe one of the first test events for the new Winnipeg stadium was a religious gathering.

[logan5]

Google search shows BC Place has an event 245 days per year. I'm sure a bigger city like Montreal could match those days for Olympic Stadium.

[Coldrsx]

CFR in full swing here in Edmonton.

[jonny24]

That's cool - I've never been to an indoor rodeo!

[Hackslack]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

CFR in full swing here in Edmonton.

The black curtains are great. They need to figure out how to do that to Commonwealth.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by elly63

The Lions would be only be around 10 dates. You have no specifics other than the same old generalized hate. Kind of useless to be going on about that now that the roof replacement is well underway.

Part of the reason for the roof replacement was missing out on dates for one quarter of the year because of the unreliability of the roof. There are many events we don't think of that could use that kind of space. I believe one of the first test events for the new Winnipeg stadium was a religious gathering.

It's not hate, it's bewilderment at how much money is constantly being spent on this stadium lol. How many events would be hosted in the stadium were it not under construction again?