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Originally Posted by someone123
Does the current Moncton stadium really matter? It only cost something like $17M and is likely not configured optimally for the CFL. The price tag discussed for a CWG stadium was something like $130M.
There's no reason why the stadium cost would be significantly different in either location but Halifax has a dramatically greater capacity to pay for things. The tax base in the HRM is six times larger than that of the City of Moncton, for example.
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I'm sure that the Commonwealth Games stadium would have been considerably larger than the facility being built here in Moncton, and would have been built to more exacting standards as well. That would explain the cost difference.
That being said, our stadium will have seating for 20,000 people and, more importantly, there will be room for expansion. I imagine that seating could be increased to 30,000 relatively easily. A top of the line facility with corporate boxes might be another matter however, but this might be feasable.
I'm willing to admit that there is potentially a much broader base for corporate support for a CFL franchise in Halifax than in Moncton. There are some head offices in Moncton however and it may be more important what the community spirit of these corporations is rather than their sheer number. Just because there are more corporate mandarins in Halifax does not mean that they will be more likely to buy a corporate box.
There are at least five individuals in Moncton that I can think of who are worth well in excess of $100 million. Any of these people or a consortium of others could afford to run a CFL team. There is civic support for the concept of a CFL franchise. There is interest in the CFL within the community. We have a leg up over Halifax with the World Track & Field Stadium. Moncton remains a player.
The stadium issue is a huge one for Halifax. You need to honestly ask yourself whether or not you believe that the current city council and mayor are actually interested in the CFL. I believe not. Even if they were interested, where would they get the funding for the needed stadium? The feds won't contribute unless there is a cause (like the CWG or the Track & Field Championships). Without the feds, the project would be up to the city, province and perhaps private interests. Just how much do Haligonians (especially the rural Haligonians in the Musquoidoboit Valley, Ecum Secum and Necum Teuch) want their tax rates to go up by?
Food for thought.