Re: Experts question benefit gained from event centres, Feb. 16.
Much has been written and said about the council-sponsored project called the events centre.
Is it necessary? Given the facilities already available, it seems to me that a case has not been made for this new facility. The council talks of attracting a major junior hockey franchise. One wonders if such a franchise is necessary for hockey to thrive in the city? And such a franchise is not a fact from anything I have seen or read. So we will borrow tens of millions on a maybe?
What if a franchise is secured? Is this really viable? Well, recent court documents on junior hockey franchises in Canada raise a lot of questions in that many of them seem to be very poorly managed. Additionally, the viability is always an issue in many places.
Perhaps a good example is St. John’s, Nfld. An event centre (Mile One Centre, capacity 7,000) was built years ago in St. John’s with the main selling point being an American Hockey League franchise for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It subsequently left and a second one came, this time a junior hockey franchise. It left and a third came, this one, the AHL team for the Montreal Canadiens. It is leaving this year. City council has sought a new franchise. As of writing, there are no takers. The council there must now rely on music events, trade shows and skating. Obviously, the number of days and the revenue generated will be much less than that of a permanent tenant.
Brian PeckfordNanaimo
