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Originally Posted by ScreamingViking
I think the Als will be forced to invest their own money into Molson. I can't see them moving to the Big O. Ever again. Could the track at Molson be removed to allow for football/soccer improvements, with the university using the one at Olympic Stadium?
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Perhaps, the track is only 3 or 4 lanes its not a regulation track. even a lower bowl only big O in my opinion is too big for the Als needs and most of the Als fan base lives on the West Island from my understanding. Anywho here's the article about the Big O and its future.
https://montrealgazette.com/news/loc...-minister-says
Quebec won't confirm reported $750M cost for new Olympic Stadium roof
"We'll get back to you with the cost, the schedules," Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx said. "The cabinet will make its decision in January."
QUEBEC — The Legault government will study the finances of Montreal’s Olympic Park in January, and it won’t be until then that the cost of any new roof for the stadium will be revealed, Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx told reporters on Wednesday.
Arriving at the weekly cabinet meeting, Proulx refused to confirm a report in La Presse that said Quebec taxpayers would have to foot a bill of at least $750 million to replace the Olympic Stadium roof.
“We can study it sometime in January, then we’ll get back to you with the cost, the schedules and all that involves a potential replacement of the roof,” Proulx said. “The cabinet will make its decision in January.”
Last October, Premier François Legault stated clearly that the Olympic Stadium needed a new roof and the venue needed a new lease on life, even though the operation might be costly.
The current roof has reached the end of its operational life. In 2017, the Liberal government of Philippe Couillard announced the roof would be replaced at a cost of $200 million to $250 million with delivery of the project expected in 2022. But in 2019, that timetable was pushed to 2024 because of the complexity of the project. Since then, the amended schedule has also been scrapped, and no new date has been provided.
On Wednesday, Proulx told reporters the stadium roof was torn in about 20,000 places, but she had no intention of “presuming” what cabinet would do.
“Doing roof work is never really the ‘sexiest’ thing,” she said. “(But) if we wait any longer, within a year or two, the Olympic Stadium will be completely closed.”
On Tuesday, the Olympic Park announced the stadium would be closed until further notice to accommodate exploratory work necessary for any replacement of the roof, a decision that will force the CF Montréal soccer team to play its first matches of 2024 outside of its home stadium.
Meanwhile, cities like Toronto are able, with their infrastructure, to attract megastars like Taylor Swift, Proulx noted.
“Tourist spending associated with the presence of Taylor Swift in Toronto: US$1,600 per spectator, 42,000 spectators times five days, that’s $350 million that Quebec … is losing because currently, we’re not capable of having a stadium.”
According to the Minister of the Economy Pierre Fitzgibbon, responsible for Montreal, the solution is certainly not to “demolish” the stadium.
“It’s a structure that is still somewhat iconic for Montreal. If we don’t do anything with it, we will destroy it, which is not a good option for Montreal. … We have to do something,” he said.
“We are not demolishing the Olympic Stadium,” Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante agreed on Wednesday. A lot of money has been invested in the Olympic Stadium, it is also a symbol of Montreal. … The city has invested nearly $1.5 billion.
“It’s like Groundhog Day … so we can’t wait to find a lasting solution as quickly as possible,” she added.
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