Halifax Stadium Discussion

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

The NDP said 'No' to a stadium just a couple of years ago.

There you go, no capital letters or exclamation marks.

This province isn't made of money for Christ sake...

I don't think there's any other way to convey to you that the NDP supports a stadium -- just not immediately. If you want to exaggerate in an attempt to give yourself reasons not to vote NDP -- then I recommend that you at least begin paying attention to the party platform of the Liberals because Halifax is the least of their concern.

The Liberals will not support a stadium because their spending priorities are focused on rural Nova Scotia.

Spend, spend, spend! ...with no return on investment!... just like Ottawa's equalisation transfers that prop these communities up to begin with!

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

Believe me the NDP will be criticised, but hopefully we will not hear from them after Oct 8, and Darrell will go to Liverpool and retire.

You don't really believe they balanced the budget, do you? A 2 percent increase in HST and they could not balance anything.

Oh dear fuck...

So you also believe there is a massive conspiracy going on between the NDP and all the credit ranking agencies? The Dominion Bond Rating Service raising the province's credit rating in July.

WHY? Because the NDP balanced the budget.

CTV, Global, and CBC at the national level have all acknowledged that the NDP has balanced the budget. Are they in on this conspiracy too?

How far does this conspiracy go?



Your criticisms of the NDP are seemingly just as far-fetched as the Liberals...who originally said the NDP would be left-wing radicals and explode the province's debt, and only spend on healthcare and education, and would be anti-business -- AND THE NDP has been NONE of those things. The NDP has been a very middle-of-the-road government. The NDP, actually, makes a better liberal party than the deficit-inclined Liberals.

This province was dealing with an over one billion dollar Tory deficit when the NDP took over. Not only did the NDP clean up that mess, but they fought to win the federal shipbuilding contract by subsidising a corporation....NOT a union -- a corporation.

The NDP has also lowered tax rates for small businesses. The NDP is obviously pro-business.

Obsess over a relatively frivolous stadium if you want. Hopefully the families in Halifax drown you out with their more reasonable concerns about jobs, economic growth, and a more sustainable system of education and healthcare for their children.

Nova Scotia is a hate-not province that habitually experiences deficits just like the rest of the Maritimes. I'm thankful for all the hard work the first NDP government has done.

It would be very depressing to return to the old Liberal and PC ways...

Will you at least be open-minded and consider the NDP's accomplishments?

http://nsndp.ca/accomplishments

[RyeJay]

ILoveHalifax: I appreciate the political conversation, but let's have it here.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

No.

Currently, the Liberals are attempting to frame the NDP as 'only for Halifax'. The Liberals won't support a stadium because they are currently pandering to rural Nova Scotia.

I find this odd. The reality is that no party will form a majority without taking a reasonable number of seats in Halifax. NDP is generally weak in rural areas relative to the Libs/Cons, so I don't see why either the Liberals or PCs would pander to what is really their base at the expense of Halifax, when it is Halifax where they need to take the seats from the NDP?!

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

Obsess over a relatively frivolous stadium if you want...

To be fair, that's the whole point of this thread.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by Hali87

To be fair, that's the whole point of this thread.

I would agree. I've redirect that political conversation to its own thread.

For the record, the stadium is a big deal to me. I care about development in Halifax. In the context of provincial politics, though, I would bet that most Nova Scotians don't care that much about it, and would actually be offended by such 'wasteful' spending.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

I do try to follow the parties.
I have voted Progressive Conservative before; I have voted Liberal; and I have voted NDP. I do not consider myself a faithful voter for any party. I vote for ideas, as well as policy records.

The best chance Halifax has to get a stadium is to elect a provincial government that can afford to contribute to a stadium. This means no deficits. This means voting NDP.

The NDP supports the Nova Centre, so they'll support a stadium, too. The NDP supports the Irving shipyards, so they'll support a stadium, as well.

There are just so many large projects on the go, and so many regions of the province to please, that a stadium has not been a provincial priority. Soon. Very soon.

The NDP threw millions at rural failing industry because of the perpetual whining about Halifax getting too much. This is what has driven the deficit up. The NDP said they wouldn't raise the HST and before the ink was dry on their inauguration certificate they jacked the HST up to 15%. THE NDP CANNOT BE TRUSTED. The NDP didn't really support the Shipyard contract. What they did was stick their mousy face in for a photo op.

A stadium in Halifax will be good for the whole province.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by Empire

The NDP threw millions at rural failing industry because of the perpetual whining about Halifax getting too much. This is what has driven the deficit up. The NDP said they wouldn't raise the HST and before the ink was dry on their inauguration certificate they jacked the HST up to 15%. THE NDP CANNOT BE TRUSTED. The NDP didn't really support the Shipyard contract. What they did was stick their mousy face in for a photo op.

A stadium in Halifax will be good for the whole province.

Thread.

[ILoveHalifax]

[QUOTE=Empire;6260052] What they did was stick their mousy face in for a photo op.


Mousy??? Very funny, can't stop laughing.

[fenwick16]

I drove into Hamilton to take some construction pictures of their new stadium. Here is one view of Tim Horton's Field from Beechwood Avenue in Hamilton, Ontario.



Here is a link to the Hamilton thread where I posted some more images - http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=6267674#post6267674

This stadium is built from the ground up (i.e. not a sunken design) and is built to last (it looks like it could still be there in 100 years if residents so desire).

[someone123]

The Canada section CFL thread has renderings of it. It looks like a nice, simple stadium, and its budget is under $150M. It's easy to imagine something like that one day being built in Halifax.

[cjones2451]

Now that Touchdown Atlantic 3 is over and we can say that it was lukewarm as far as promotion and ticket response, is it time for Halifax to step up and get this going somehow? I see all the stadium activity in the country right now and think a stadium and 10th team in the CFL would be perfect for Halifax.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

Now that Touchdown Atlantic 3 is over and we can say that it was lukewarm as far as promotion and ticket response, is it time for Halifax to step up and get this going somehow? I see all the stadium activity in the country right now and think a stadium and 10th team in the CFL would be perfect for Halifax.

Has Mike Savage been making much progress in his CFL meetings? It's up to him to go public with any information, if he has any...

We don't know if the province will contribute any funds to a stadium. A Liberal minority is likely, if the polls are accurate. The Liberal's base is mostly outside of Halifax -- and these constituents are, understandably, more concerned about their local economies than entertainment infrastructure in the province's capital.

Halifax may need to begin a provincial campaign to build support. I suspect the City has a bit more climbing to do before the serious talk starts up again.

[q12]

This was just tweeted by Halifax Sports Reporter Scott MacIntosh by News 95.7

https://twitter.com/News957

#CFL commish Cohon tells @News957 they will continue to pursue Halifax's interest in a CFL team. Admits HFX's size over Moncton's is a factor

[q12]

Would you fund a Halifax stadium?

Question put to Darrell Dexter, Stephen McNeil and Jamie Baillie

The Canadian Press Posted: Sep 26, 2013 5:30 PM AT Last Updated: Sep 26, 2013 5:30 PM AT

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter says Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil's position on public funding for a stadium in Halifax capable of holding Canadian Football League games is a contradiction.

Nova Scotia's three main political party leaders were asked during a radio debate Thursday whether they would be willing to support taxpayers' money for a stadium in the city.

McNeil says it would be irresponsible not to entertain such a proposal, though he added it would depend on what the project looked like.

Dexter says that is a substantial contradiction for McNeil, who has campaigned against what the Liberals have described as the NDP government's record of corporate giveaways.

Dexter said it needed a business case before he would comment.

Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie says he would not endorse funding a stadium until there is a specific proposal before him and even then, only if it's affordable.

Halifax Regional Municipality has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on feasibility studies for a stadium and Mayor Mike Savage supports the idea.

The province's voters cast their ballots Oct. 8.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/2.4792/would-you-fund-a-halifax-stadium-1.1869749


More stories on the topic today:

http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/dexter-pounce...on-funding-halifax-cfl-stadium-1.1471666

http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/807000/...position-on-funding-halifax-cfl-stadium/

[ILoveHalifax]

Dexter already told us he would not contribute to a stadium a couple of years ago, so we really don't need to hear from him.
A stadium is a piece of infrastructure the city needs just like a library and a convention. Yes some people who use it may have a business interest but not everybody; some events could be civic events.
How many jobs might a CFL team create right here in Halifax? More than a pulp mill?

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by q12

http://www.cbc.ca/news/2.4792/would-you-fund-a-halifax-stadium-1.1869749


More stories on the topic today:

http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/dexter-pounce...on-funding-halifax-cfl-stadium-1.1471666

http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/807000/...position-on-funding-halifax-cfl-stadium/

Thanks for the links q12.

I think that Stephen McNeil shows that he has guts in clearly being the most progressive on the issue. It is also a good sign that Mayor Savage, who has Liberal connections, supports a stadium. If Stephen McNeil is elected then there a good chance of them working together on the stadium issue.

I think that for an NDP leader, who is supposed to be in tune with public opinion, Premier Dexter is out of touch with the majority public opinion on the issue. The answer he gave is the same answer he gave a couple of years ago when he did not support a stadium. I think it was a very wishy-washy answer from Premier Dexter.

Personally, I don't think the stadium issue should be a criteria for electing the next Premier. However, I think that a leader who is willing to show vision and find a way to build a reasonably priced stadium will also find ways to advance Nova Scotia in other areas.

Maybe with Stephen McNeil as provincial leader and Mike Savage as Mayor, a stadium building fund will be set up, or a public fund for a CFL entry fee can be established.

[RyeJay]

All three leaders are saying the same thing.

They're *all* saying it should be considered -- but it has to be affordable. "Maybe" is the easy answer to give.

And once again Stephen McNeil is showing his hypocrisy. This is becoming so predictable it's sickening.

Stephen McNeil argues against government incentives and public funding beyond what we're already committed to. McNeil has been arguing against Dexter's support for shipbuilding and the Nova Centre -- and yet McNeil says he'll consider using taxpayers' money for a stadium...

I'm hoping people aren't that naïve.

I believe Stephen McNeil much more when he rants on about limiting government spending until the budget is balanced. (The budget currently is balanced; however, since Stephen McNeil isn't in power he won't give credit where credit is due... even as the province's credit rating reaches an historic improvement *because* of the balanced budget.)

Aside from Halifax's shipbuilding jobs being in Quebec or British Columbia if the Liberals had been in power over these past 4 years, Stephen McNeil argues that Halifax is doing just fine and that more of the province's focus needs to be on rural Nova Scotia.

A Liberal victory means no stadium for Halifax.

But hey -- at least we got the Nova Centre and shipbuilding out of the NDP.

[q12]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

All three leaders are saying the same thing.

They're *all* saying it should be considered -- but it has to be affordable. "Maybe" is the easy answer to give.

And once again Stephen McNeil is showing his hypocrisy. This is becoming so predictable it's sickening.

Stephen McNeil argues against government incentives and public funding beyond what we're already committed to. McNeil has been arguing against Dexter's support for shipbuilding and the Nova Centre -- and yet McNeil says he'll consider using taxpayers' money for a stadium...

I'm hoping people aren't that naïve.

I believe Stephen McNeil much more when he rants on about limiting government spending until the budget is balanced. (The budget currently is balanced; however, since Stephen McNeil isn't in power he won't give credit where credit is due... even as the province's credit rating reaches an historic improvement *because* of the balanced budget.)

Aside from Halifax's shipbuilding jobs being in Quebec or British Columbia if the Liberals had been in power over these past 4 years, Stephen McNeil argues that Halifax is doing just fine and that more of the province's focus needs to be on rural Nova Scotia.

A Liberal victory means no stadium for Halifax.

But hey -- at least we got the Nova Centre and shipbuilding out of the NDP.

Listen nobody gives a shit what you think when you show your NDP bias.

I'm tired of your pro NDP rants about how they are the saviors of our province.

The fact is what fenwick16 said makes a lot of sense. A Liberal Mike Savage and and Liberal Stephen Mcneil will probably be the best chance Halifax has at getting funding for a Stadium.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

Aside from Halifax's shipbuilding jobs being in Quebec or British Columbia if the Liberals had been in power over these past 4 years, Stephen McNeil argues that Halifax is doing just fine and that more of the province's focus needs to be on rural Nova Scotia.

"It's no different than if you go across rural Nova Scotia, government has a responsibility to ensure that the community infrastructure is in place," McNeil said. (From the CTV article)

Show me a quote where he says that Halifax should be ignored in favour of rural NS?

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by q12

Listen nobody gives a shit what you think when you show your NDP bias.

I'm tired of your pro NDP rants about how they are the saviors of our province.

The fact is what fenwick16 said makes a lot of sense. A Liberal Mike Savage and and Liberal Stephen Mcneil will probably be the best chance Halifax has at getting funding for a Stadium.

I never said the NDP was the saviour of the province. I am giving them credit for accomplishments, just as I've criticised them for pandering to rural Nova Scotia by decentralising provincial jobs out of Halifax to several towns across the province.

The NDP can also be criticised about their lack of attention to tuition costs.

The NDP can also be criticised for not helping the municipalities develop sustainably.

Our politics is about voting for the lesser of evils. I see the NDP as the least evil. I am trying to argue their "pros" ...but then you exaggerate and say my points as just "pro-NDP rants," without addressing anything I've said...
If you don't give a shit, then don't respond; otherwise, rebut what I'm saying by articulating yourself.

Regardless, I hope Halifax gets a stadium eventually.