Regina's Multi-Purpose facility

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by thefourthtower

whats the difference if a city gets a museun or a stadium its all about life we must enjoy it .

man, you are so missing the point....in your mind there is no difference... to the government and to most people in canada there is a HUGE difference between funding a museum and a football stadium...that is the entire crux of our argument that you dont seem to be understanding.

the federal government does not have a pile of money for each city for whatever they want...

to you, winnipeg decided it likes museums and regina likes football so its all equal, but that is not how it works....if regina wanted a museum they would probably get funding, because ottawa funds museums (see $30m federal dollars for the RCMP museum) ......winnipeg wants a football stadium and it doesnt get federal funding, not because we used up our quota of money on the museum, its because the feds dont buy stadiums.

the federal government does not fund professional sports facilities....the never have and it is a potential minefield if they were to start.

....if regina gets stadium money then they had better be able to hand the same over to quebec, winnipeg, calgary, edmonton, hamilton, ottawa and halifax....because they all want the same thing...it doesnt matter if they got a museum as well...that isnt how government works.

[Migs]

Originally Posted by trueviking

man, you are so missing the point....in your mind there is no difference... to the government and to most people in canada there is a HUGE difference between funding a museum and a football stadium...that is the entire crux of our argument that you dont seem to be understanding.

the federal government does not have a pile of money for each city for whatever they want...

to you, winnipeg decided it likes museums and regina likes football so its all equal, but that is not how it works....if regina wanted a museum they would probably get funding (see $30m federal dolars for the RCMP museum) because ottawa funds museums......winnipeg wants a football stadium and it doesnt get funding, not because we used up our allotment of money on the museum, its because the feds dont buy stadiums.

the federal government does not fund professional sports facilities....the never have and it is a potential minefield if they were to start.

....if regina gets stadium money then they had better be able to hand the same over to quebec, winnipeg, calgary, edmonton, hamilton, ottawa and halifax....because they all want the same thing...it doesnt matter if they got a museum as well...that isnt how government works.

No offence viking but your are completely wrong.

Saddledome, Rexall Place, PNE Coliseum, Skydome, Molson Stadium, Olympic Stadium, Commonwealth Stadium, McMahon Stadium, Winnipeg Stadium, Ivor Wynne Stadium, the new stadium in Hamilton, the new stadium in Winnipeg, Copps Coliseum, BC Place stadium, Abbotsford sports and Entertainment Centre, saveonfoodscentre in Victoria, BMO Field, etc are just an example of stadiums/arenas that are professional sports facilities partially funded by the Federal Govt. And if you bring up the whole "those were funded because of international sporting events" argument, well then I am sure we will put a bid in for the World Pingpong championships in order to be on the same level as a place like BMO Field.

No matter how much you try and deny it, federal funding for pro-sports facilities is nothing new.

[Migs]

Originally Posted by artvandelay

I thought the stadium is going to have a retractable roof?
Domed stadiums are brutal - especially in the summer when you want to enjoy a nice night. Football is meant to be played outdoors!

It will have a retractible roof.

[Migs]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

No offense to anyone in Regina but almost all outsiders know that this multi-purpose centre will never make money and will likely lose a lot (even BC Place and the Rogers Centre lose millions of dollars a year if you include the cost of building each facility). But if Regina is ok with that and has the money to proceed then it will certainly attract attention to Regina and Saskatchewan. (hopefully it will be good publicity, not bad)

Since when does a stadium have to be a big money maker? Since you are using the skydome as an example, that place sold for alot less than what it was built....big picture, how many billions and billions of dollars has that facility brought into the Toronto area? If that is too big then use Mosaic Stadium as an example, operational-wise that facility does not make money, but it does bring in millions and millions of dollars every year into the Saskatchewan economy.

[Migs]

Originally Posted by trueviking

there is nothing more annoying than trying to engage in an intelligent debate and your opponent, who is no longer able to respond to your points decides that he must resort to belittling your opinion to make it appear as if your argument is so far off that the only logical answer is an infantile concept like jealousy or hatred.

its a last resort in debating.....divert the attention from legitimate points by throwing a diversion out and hoping he takes the bait.

there are very legitimate reasons why stadiums do not deserve major federal funding...this is why they have not ever recieved it.....its not like the regina stadium is the only one not getting funding....there is no precedent for this project.

i couldnt care less if they played football on a field of gold bricks in regina....i just dont think you should or will get funding from the rest of the country for it.

Wrong again. The last resort of debating is when you make things up like stating that the feds don't fund stadiums.

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by thefourthtower

My dear freind this is not a domed stadium the roof will open on it , R egina has been pissed on for far to to lon=ng its about a generational thing once its built its there for 70 years why not its once in a lifetime , there is a huge oppurtinty for the province in realty its not that much money its for the enjoyment of the people we only live once enjoy life build our cities and carry one whats the difference if a city gets a museun or a stadium its all about life we must enjoy it .

Aparently every city has their own 1ajs...
(no offence 1ajs, I do appreciate your contributions to the forum)

[Bdog]

Just some general points here Migs:

Since you brought it up, watching sports in the Metrodome in Minneapolis is BRUTAL! Have you ever been?

A hundred million to host a ping pong championship is one sure-fire way to lose the next election (I know you were being sarcastic, but still, what international event is going to require a stadium like the one being proposed...not many).

If you want to bring up the federal funding for Winnipeg's new stadium, why not stick to the facts: The federal money is strictly for the amateur sports and recreation components of the stadium (ie: covering the playing field in winter so it can still be used for community sports, upgrading the university's athletic centre, etc)... Oh, and that funding is in the range of 15 million, not 100 million plus...

I don't think you understand basic economics. How will this new stadium bring millions and millions of new dollars into the Regina economy each year? People already attend the events that will be held at the new stadium - Just because they are in a new facility does not mean that this is new money flowing into the economy. Most people attending these events will obviously be from Regina (or the same people from Saskatoon, buying the same tickets, staying at the same hotels, and buying the same food) - nothing has changed except the facility is half a billion dollars. So, unless there are going to be thousands of Americans from Billings driving up for monthly U2 concerts and bi-weekly Monster Jams, I don't see how much "new" money is getting pumped into your economy...

[Nathan]

The fourth tower... they aren't really being insulting... and there is a right to debate things... This isn't specifically the "Regina Construction" thread... so a bit of good debate is definitely allowed, I think...

And back to the debate...

Originally Posted by trueviking

man, you are so missing the point....in your mind there is no difference... to the government and to most people in canada there is a HUGE difference between funding a museum and a football stadium...that is the entire crux of our argument that you dont seem to be understanding.

the federal government does not have a pile of money for each city for whatever they want...

to you, winnipeg decided it likes museums and regina likes football so its all equal, but that is not how it works....if regina wanted a museum they would probably get funding, because ottawa funds museums (see $30m federal dollars for the RCMP museum) ......winnipeg wants a football stadium and it doesnt get federal funding, not because we used up our quota of money on the museum, its because the feds dont buy stadiums.

the federal government does not fund professional sports facilities....the never have and it is a potential minefield if they were to start.

....if regina gets stadium money then they had better be able to hand the same over to quebec, winnipeg, calgary, edmonton, hamilton, ottawa and halifax....because they all want the same thing...it doesnt matter if they got a museum as well...that isnt how government works.

Funnily enough, the grouping is usually "Sport, Culture, and Recreation". The three together bring enjoyment to peoples lives, so yes, I would put museums and sports complexes in the same field.

Besides, when we talk about the CFL, yes it is a professional league... but is it a rich one? Do our players make millions of dollars? Are the franchises worth hundreds of millions of dollars like the NHL teams are worth? or like the NFL teams south of the border are worth? No... it is a much more grassroots league... Let's put this in perspective... The annual salary cap in the CFL is around $5 million... Payton Manning of the NFL makes $15.8 US /year... And yet many NFL stadiums are still partially funded by governments.

And the Riders profit doesn't go to one person either, so the money for the stadium going to benefit wouldn't be true either due to its community-owned club status... All money needs to either be re-invested into the community or operations.

In any case, all of the stadiums in the CFL (maybe all except Montreal's smaller Molson stadium - I don't know the history of it well enough to say) were at least partially funded by the Feds; all except Mosaic. Just because Regina is not large enough to host a major(ish) international event that would require a new large stadium doesn't mean we don't deserve to have some sizeable federal funding toward one. What pile of money has Regina asked for for non-necessities before? This is one of the first times Regina has actually gone to to Feds to ask them to help fund a non-essential project for the enjoyment of its citizens (and the citizens of the rest of the province).

And Regina isn't asking for new money... it is applying to funds already set up. Funds that are already budgeted to be dispersed through existing programs. So the argument that the Feds should be tightening the purse strings doesn't really hold water either. These funds are already budgeted for, and so are included in the governments plans of tightening the purse strings over the next few years. The projects haven't been decided yet, but the funding for projects has been put aside.

And drawing back to a point in my previous post, why did the Human Rights Museum have to be so grand? You guys are asking us to settle for something far less grand (just a regular outdoor stadium), so why couldn't the Human Rights Museum just be a plain large warehouse-like structure? It would have surely suited the function just fine, and it could have been built mostly with private donations too, like you guys keep suggesting for our stadium. Then maybe the Feds could just have helped with the annual upkeep bill since it is a Nationally designated museum. But it was wanted to be a focal point and something to be proud of, so a grander design was chosen. So be it.

Same for our stadium... we want it to be a focal point, so we want something more grand. Something we could be proud that our city/province has.

We will probably never agree on this... but oh well.

[trueviking]

you might link sport culture and recreation together but the government doesnt.

again, you can not compare the museum to a football stadium....they have nothing to do with each other.....it is ONLY about the fact that the federal government doesnt fund professional sports stadiums....and CFL is pro sport even if the players are low paid and the team is community owned...those arguments do not change the fact that it is a pro sports arena.

winnipeg could be extravagent in their requests for the museum because governments do fund national museums to that amount...they have several times in the past....there is no precedent for that for football.

regina will get funding but it will be tied to infrastructure outside of the stadium and it will not be close to the $100m they want.

you guys are arguing personal opinions about the value of this building as justification for its funding instead of rationally analyzing how governments give out money.....look at past evidence, not emotion.

you guys are turning this into a 'i think its worth it and you dont think its worth it' debate....doesnt matter if you and i both think it is money well spent....the federal government doesnt fund sports facilities to that amount....end of story.

i personally dont really even care if the feds give regina and quebec the money.....im simply pointing out that they very likely will not and the reasons why......

it is a political minefield to fund sports arenas and with a minority government trying to show that it is fiscally responsible it is even more unlikely that they will change policy for the first time ever.

[Migs]

Originally Posted by Bdog

Just some general points here Migs:

Since you brought it up, watching sports in the Metrodome in Minneapolis is BRUTAL! Have you ever been?

Yup several times for both baseball and football games. I guess you and I have different definitions for the word brutal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSnMU...eature=related

A hundred million to host a ping pong championship is one sure-fire way to lose the next election (I know you were being sarcastic, but still, what international event is going to require a stadium like the one being proposed...not many).

That is not what we are arguing. What we are arguing is federal funding of stadiums.

If you want to bring up the federal funding for Winnipeg's new stadium, why not stick to the facts: The federal money is strictly for the amateur sports and recreation components of the stadium (ie: covering the playing field in winter so it can still be used for community sports, upgrading the university's athletic centre, etc)... Oh, and that funding is in the range of 15 million, not 100 million plus...

No matter how you spin it, that is still federal money towards your stadium. And I will once again tell you, we will not get the $100 million dollars we are asking for, but it willl be more than $15million. That said, would you be ok with federal funding of this facility if it only applied to infrastructure around the stadium (ie pedestrian bridges, walkways, greenery, sewerlines, etc) and the Sports Hall of Fame that is to be included as well?

I don't think you understand basic economics.

No I have only taken and completed 7 university economic classes, perhaps you can teach me more.

How will this new stadium bring millions and millions of new dollars into the Regina economy each year?

Common sense tells one that Mosaic Stadium is on its last legs and on the verge of being condemned. These economic numbers are about sustained economic activity as well as increased activity with new events that have bypassed south Saskatchewan for as long as I've been breating.

People already attend the events that will be held at the new stadium - Just because they are in a new facility does not mean that this is new money flowing into the economy.

Do you understand what sustained economic activity means?

Most people attending these events will obviously be from Regina (or the same people from Saskatoon, buying the same tickets, staying at the same hotels, and buying the same food) - nothing has changed except the facility is half a billion dollars. So, unless there are going to be thousands of Americans from Billings driving up for monthly U2 concerts and bi-weekly Monster Jams, I don't see how much "new" money is getting pumped into your economy...

Once again, nobody said it was all new money, "most of it will be sustained activity" even though a good portion of it will be with the increased capacity and the additional events that do not stop in Regina. Take this for example, if Mosaic Stadium gets condemned tommorrow, (which it could), all monies brought in by a new stadium could be considered new money. Thankfully those running this province (and city) understand that in order to sustain and grow, one has to act now, which is exactly what they are doing. And that is just another example of why both Fiacco and Wall are incredibly popular in this province, also might be why Regina is booming (lowest unemployment rate in Canada) and why Saskatchewan is the envy of the free world economy.

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by Migs

Yup several times for both baseball and football games. I guess you and I have different definitions for the word brutal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSnMU...eature=related


That is not what we are arguing. What we are arguing is federal funding of stadiums.

No matter how you spin it, that is still federal money towards your stadium. And I will once again tell you, we will not get the $100 million dollars we are asking for, but it willl be more than $15million. That said, would you be ok with federal funding of this facility if it only applied to infrastructure around the stadium (ie pedestrian bridges, walkways, greenery, sewerlines, etc) and the Sports Hall of Fame that is to be included as well?

No I have only taken and completed 7 university economic classes, perhaps you can teach me more.
Common sense tells one that Mosaic Stadium is on its last legs and on the verge of being condemned. These economic numbers are about sustained economic activity as well as increased activity with new events that have bypassed south Saskatchewan for as long as I've been breating.
Do you understand what sustained economic activity means?
Once again, nobody said it was all new money, "most of it will be sustained activity" even though a good portion of it will be with the increased capacity and the additional events that do not stop in Regina. Take this for example, if Mosaic Stadium gets condemned tommorrow, (which it could), all monies brought in by a new stadium could be considered new money. Thankfully those running this province (and city) understand that in order to sustain and grow, one has to act now, which is exactly what they are doing. And that is just another example of why both Fiacco and Wall are incredibly popular in this province, also might be why Regina is booming (lowest unemployment rate in Canada) and why Saskatchewan is the envy of the free world economy.

I guess that's why fans (of both the twins and the vikings) had been demanding new stadiums be built for their teams for over a decade now...

If you want to argue federal funding for stadiums, cool. But just be sure to put dollar amounts next to them, so that we don't lump 15 million recreation improvements with 100 million for a retractable roof...

Would I be ok with federal funding for infrastructure around the stadium? Sure, as long as it was used under existing guidelines and programs.

My undergraduate degree is in economics too, so I guess we're both on the same page there - If you can explain to me how monster jam, Elton John, and these vague "trade shows" you keep mentioning will bring in millions, I'm all ears. And the point here isn't sustained economic activity - If you have to spend half a billion just to sustain what you've got now, you're in bad shape...

"And that is just another example of why both Fiacco and Wall are incredibly popular in this province, also might be why Regina is booming (lowest unemployment rate in Canada) and why Saskatchewan is the envy of the free world economy."

Hahahaha, the prime example of why saskatchewan is the envy of the free world economy: They ask the public sector to subsidize their new stadium. Interesting how this is such a slam dunk that the private sector can't pony up all the money themselves. Oh, and Regina's recent prosperity has nothing to do with the resource industry...

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by trueviking

you might link sport culture and recreation together but the government doesnt.

The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women (French: Ministre du Patrimoine canadien) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal government department responsible for Canada's Arts, Culture, Media, Communications network, and Sport.

Yes. it does.

again, you can not compare the museum to a football stadium....they have nothing to do with each other.....it is ONLY about the fact that the federal government doesnt fund professional sports stadiums....and CFL is pro sport even if the players are low paid and the team is community owned...those arguments do not change the fact that it is a pro sports arena.

Yes, it will be used by the Roughriders, and financially, they will probably be the most important tenant (that's definitely not being debated... afterall, the use by the Tiger-Cats of the PanAm stadium is a requirement in attaining funding), but time-wise, they won't be the major tenant. The University football team will be a partner (I believe they risk losing the lucrative 50-50 draws at Rider games otherwise); you might even see a bump in their attendance as people will be wanting to check out the new stadium, and maybe they will start to attend games regularly because of this intro. The Prairie thunder will also probably make use of it. So there still is an amateur sport aspect to it as well. As others have mentioned, it could also be used for the Vanier Cup. The ability for it to be held indoors is one of the main reasons it was held in the skydome so often in the past.

winnipeg could be extravagent in their requests for the museum because governments do fund national museums to that amount...they have several times in the past....there is no precedent for that for football.

The recently built RCMP Heritage Centre was around $40 million in total. I would say that's pretty national, no? Roughtly an 8th of the cost of the Human Rights Museum.

The national portrait gallery was scrapped after costs rose above $40 million.

Pier 21 (The Immigration Museum in Halifax):

"Under the agreement in principle, the Harper Government will make an initial investment of up to $10 million to enable the museum to develop a program that reflects its national mandate in its exhibitions and through its website, and up to $5 million towards the operation of the new national museum, subject to approval of its corporate plan."

Sure a few national museums might get hundreds of millions (National Art Gallery, I expect), but given the above, I wouldn't say there is a precident... There is a precident for some funding (just like there is one for sporting structures), but funding to the tune of $100 million is not the norm.

regina will get funding but it will be tied to infrastructure outside of the stadium and it will not be close to the $100m they want.

you guys are arguing personal opinions about the value of this building as justification for its funding instead of rationally analyzing how governments give out money.....look at past evidence, not emotion.

you guys are turning this into a 'i think its worth it and you dont think its worth it' debate....doesnt matter if you and i both think it is money well spent....the federal government doesnt fund sports facilities to that amount....end of story.

i personally dont really even care if the feds give regina and quebec the money.....im simply pointing out that they very likely will not and the reasons why......

it is a political minefield to fund sports arenas and with a minority government trying to show that it is fiscally responsible it is even more unlikely that they will change policy for the first time ever.

Yes, of course there is a "we think it's worth it" aspect. Saskatchewan has really been in a downward spiral/trend since the Great Depression. Finally we are clawing back and becoming a richer place, so now that we are, why not actually spend some money on something that can be a source of pride. Sure it might be more than what is needed to cover the basics, but if that is what people should be following when they make their decisions, it would be a VERY boring world. Canadian billionaires/companies don't support sports here the same as happens in other places, so you will never get projects like this stadium that was just built in Ukraine (all from private funding sources):



And if a lot of the money was tied to the surrounding infrastructure, so be it. A lot of the surrounding infrastructure (pedways linking the downtown to the warehouse district, park/open space around the stadium, Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame/Museum, etc) is included in the price tag... so throw in the 15-20 million for the stadium... and then fund those other portions of the project, and you're getting at a sizeable contribution from the Feds anyway.

[Migs]

Originally Posted by Bdog

I guess that's why fans (of both the twins and the vikings) had been demanding new stadiums be built for their teams for over a decade now...

Weird? What kind of new stadium do the Vikings want to build? It wouldn't be the same kind of facility that Arizona, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Houston have recently built would it? Although those stadiums are much larger than the one proposed for Regina, those stadiums have retractible roofs as well. Must be just a coincidence.

Hahahaha, the prime example of why saskatchewan is the envy of the free world economy: They ask the public sector to subsidize their new stadium. Interesting how this is such a slam dunk that the private sector can't pony up all the money themselves. Oh, and Regina's recent prosperity has nothing to do with the resource industry...

The resource industry is one of the reasons, which bears the question. Since these resources have been here for centuries, why are we just recently starting to enjoy prosperity?

And I'll finish responding to the rest of your post later today after work.

[Welkin]

You just come on here to start trouble and nothing more you need a big group hug , you act like its your money get over it already, the same thing over and over and over Carry on enjoy life

Well it has been an interesting debate, but I think I will take my big group hug and go home. This thread is turning into a war of words between the True Believers and the Skeptical Skeptics and I don't think anyone is going to change each others mind. It will be interesting to see how all this turns out.

Just one quick question before I go.... If the economy in Saskatchewan is booming to the point that it is the envy of the free world and the streets of Regina are flowing with gold, why are you going so heavily after a federal subsidy? According to you it is not like you need it after all. Is it because you feel that you are owed this money in some way, or is it because all the other kids got some free money for their little projects and now you want some (even though you obviously don't need the money)? What gives? With your "lowest unemployment in North America" and booming (not just growing, but actual booming) economy, I figure you could pay for this project out of your loose pocket change. Your statements are contradictory. You need and deserve this huge megaplex entertainment center because "Hey you are the boomtown of the world" but you also need the federal government to help pay for it. Very confusing.

[Migs]

Originally Posted by Welkin

You just come on here to start trouble and nothing more you need a big group hug , you act like its your money get over it already, the same thing over and over and over Carry on enjoy life

Well it has been an interesting debate, but I think I will take my big group hug and go home. This thread is turning into a war of words between the True Believers and the Skeptical Skeptics and I don't think anyone is going to change each others mind. It will be interesting to see how all this turns out.

Just one quick question before I go.... If the economy in Saskatchewan is booming to the point that it is the envy of the free world and the streets of Regina are flowing with gold, why are you going so heavily after a federal subsidy? According to you it is not like you need it after all. Is it because you feel that you are owed this money in some way, or is it because all the other kids got some free money for their little projects and now you want some (even though you obviously don't need the money)? What gives? With your "lowest unemployment in North America" and booming (not just growing, but actual booming) economy, I figure you could pay for this project out of your loose pocket change. Your statements are contradictory. You need and deserve this huge megaplex entertainment center because "Hey you are the boomtown of the world" but you also need the federal government to help pay for it. Very confusing.

Its only confusing to those who can't comprehend what is happening. The province of Saskatchewan was promised $800million dollars in equalization payments from the federal govt during the past election which they completely flipflopped on. (compare our equalization deal in regards to resource revenues with Newfoundland and youll see why we are pissed off) We pay hundreds of millions every year into equalization yet some here seem to think we shouldnt' get any return while other havenot provinces get free cheques from the feds in addition to any funding initiatives like the one we are requesting? Sorry but that doesn't bode well for those of us out west. Can we afford this facility without federal funding, absolutely, but what kind of precendent does that send if we here in SK don't get any returns on the hundeds of millions we pay into equalization while a good portion of the country is basically a 'welfare' state (Quebec). Sorry but that isn't the way it works, we deserve funding on programs such as this just like the rest of the country. (ie Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec City, etc)

[Chaps]

Originally Posted by trueviking

man, you are so missing the point....in your mind there is no difference... to the government and to most people in canada there is a HUGE difference between funding a museum and a football stadium...that is the entire crux of our argument that you dont seem to be understanding.

the federal government does not have a pile of money for each city for whatever they want...

to you, winnipeg decided it likes museums and regina likes football so its all equal, but that is not how it works....if regina wanted a museum they would probably get funding, because ottawa funds museums (see $30m federal dollars for the RCMP museum) ......winnipeg wants a football stadium and it doesnt get federal funding, not because we used up our quota of money on the museum, its because the feds dont buy stadiums.

the federal government does not fund professional sports facilities....the never have and it is a potential minefield if they were to start.

....if regina gets stadium money then they had better be able to hand the same over to quebec, winnipeg, calgary, edmonton, hamilton, ottawa and halifax....because they all want the same thing...it doesnt matter if they got a museum as well...that isnt how government works.

They better not. I don't want to pay for something in some other city that I'll never use.

[RTD]

Originally Posted by Chaps

They better not. I don't want to pay for something in some other city that I'll never use.

This statement, right here, is the theme for the potential Regina & Quebec City multi-million dollar funding. This is why the rest of Canadians are up in arms over stadium and arena federal funding schemes.

[Chaps]

Originally Posted by RTD

This statement, right here, is the theme for the potential Regina & Quebec City multi-million dollar funding. This is why the rest of Canadians are up in arms over stadium and arena federal funding schemes.

I added an emoticon for those who missed the sarcastic irony.

Anyone who actually thinks that way is a bloody moron. And unfortunately, there are a couple of them in this thread. (not talking about everyone who opposes it...some have good reasons.)

[RTD]

Originally Posted by Chaps

I added an emoticon for those who missed the sarcastic irony.

Anyone who actually thinks that way is a bloody moron. And unfortunately, there are a couple of them in this thread. (not talking about everyone who opposes it...some have good reasons.)

You might not want to resort to petty name calling towards others that don't share the same viewpoint as yourself; it doesn't boast well for your character as a person from the viewpoint of others.

Just saying

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by Migs

Weird? What kind of new stadium do the Vikings want to build? It wouldn't be the same kind of facility that Arizona, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Houston have recently built would it? Although those stadiums are much larger than the one proposed for Regina, those stadiums have retractible roofs as well. Must be just a coincidence.

The resource industry is one of the reasons, which bears the question. Since these resources have been here for centuries, why are we just recently starting to enjoy prosperity?

And I'll finish responding to the rest of your post later today after work.

You're right: The Vikings want to build a retractable roof - However, their main tenant will be playing games until January. The fact that it has taken over 10 years, in a +3 Million metro, in a country MUCH more conducive to public financing for stadiums, and still no new Vikings stadium (in the most lucrative league in the US)? I think that speaks volumes to why this thing might not fly in Regina...

As an economics man, I'm sure you can think of a few reasons why Saskatchewan is just recently cashing in big on its resources. Might it have anything to potash prices jumping 400 - 500% in the last 10 years? Might it have anything to do with oil and natural gas prices jumping to all time highs in the last 5 years? After pretty much no growth for 70 years, I think you'd be hard pressed to argue that the recent prosperity has to do with anything other than your natural resources...