At least if you measure savageness by the reaction people have to the success of their hockey team. The Globe reports that Canadiens fans celebrated their team's 7th-game victory over the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs by rioting and torching a few police cars.
Jesus! It took us until the third round to start with the public burnings.
Update: This CBC article includes a picture of a torched cruiser.
On the issue of a new arena, we defer to our guest poster on the AGRDT sports beat, MR. Thanks for an insightful analysis!
The long awaited Edmonton arena feasibility report came out on Tuesday, and to the surprise of no one, it glowingly endorsed a downtown arena. What people seem to forget about this report is that it is only the preliminary stage of the process, it’s not a plan and therefore it lacks the details that would be associated with a plan. Nonetheless the document will guide future decisions so let’s take a look at the good, and the bad:
The Good
•“That existing parking in the multipurpose activity district be maximized.”
According to the report parking and traffic will not be a concern because last new years “more than 35,000 people gathered in Sir Winston Churchill Square without overcrowding, creating parking challenges, or causing any traffic problems as the crowds dispersed.” So take that… Seriously though, while I don’t agree that one debatably successful instance of smooth mass exodus from the downtown core proves anything, I do agree that parking and traffic should not be a concern. That is assuming that the location selected has proximal access to public transportation. A lack of parking might even encourage people to leave their vehicles at home.
• “The facility should be programmed to maximize use through concerts, events, shows and community uses, given the limited numbers of Oilers games annually.”
To me this was recognition of the fact that it is not a good idea to simply plop an arena that remains dark on most nights into the downtown core…it’s a start.
• “That a sports/entertainment facility within a multipurpose activity district be designed to link the neighbourhood, the City of Edmonton, the Edmonton capital region and central and northern Alberta.”
Anyone who read my previous post knows that I think it is absolutely crucial for this project to be more then just a big old building. There is not much detail here, but at least the idea is being presented. Hopefully, as the planning process continues we will see the district development and the arena development merge because I think that planning the two as separate entities, or phases, is a huge mistake.
• “That the sports/entertainment facility be environmentally sustainable, using LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria.”
Very good…Enough said.
The Bad
• “The subcommittee believes that there is potential to identify additional sources of revenue associated with a revitalized downtown area such as a downtown parking levy and/or an increase in the existing ticket surcharge.”
A new arena means more expensive tickets, which means even fewer games for me and probably you. Expected, but still bad.
•“There is precedent in Alberta for the use of a community revitalization levy (CRL) for enabling projects such as this. A CRL allows a municipality to raise funds against future increases in the tax base.”
The Mandel loop hole: apparently tax money doesn’t include future potential tax money.
How things will go down…
There will be a new arena and it will be downtown, any alternatives have pretty much been steamrolled over by the municipal government and the Edmonton media. There will be public funding, not direct tax increases, but by other means, and the province will give nothing. The report’s suggestions seem to point to the development of an entertainment district which, hopefully, will be part of, and not separate from the arena planning process. Unfortunately, I don’t see the city using this project as a means to fight any of the other major civic problems (like say…affordable housing). Just my thoughts…how do you see it playing out?
UPDATE: The Canadian Finals Rodeo threatens to pull out of Edmonton, if new downtown facility is difficult to access via truck and livestock trailers.
For more insight on the new Edmonton downtown arena plan, check out our friends Daveberta and Covered in Oil.
Sports! Ahhh that long neglected topic that gets little more than a token post every couple weeks on this blog. Following this trend, I just wanted to give a quick shout out to my second favourite Alberta underdog (non-PC voters being the first). The AJHL's St. Albert Steel are currently involved in a bitter playoff battle with the second place (in the North) Grande Prairie Storm which saw them lose 4-3 in game 5 after an errant puck bounced off a broken rink board and landed in the Steel net during OT. Good luck to the Steel, who will face an uphill battle in GP tomorrow night! Check out how your favourite AJHL team is doing in the playoffs here.
Special thanks to MR for this insightful post!
On Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers held a press conference to officially announce what has become the worst kept secret in Edmonton sports since Chris Pronger’s personal indiscretions: the team has been sold to Rexall Pharmacies founder Darryl Katz for $200 million. Katz, who is drawing comparisons to Batman’s alter ego Bruce Wayne because of his wealth, his reclusive nature, and his fortress of a home on the riverbank, is a born and raised Edmontonian with a law degree from the University of Alberta. In a statement released by the Katz group on Wednesday, the Dark Knight himself pledged to provide Edmontonians with a competitive team and a brand new arena. Katz has said that he would prefer the new facility to be in the downtown core and would like to see its completion “sooner rather than later.” This has increased the pressure on the city of Edmonton to get the ball rolling.
I might draw the ire of Oiler fans for saying this but I think rushing through this process is a huge mistake. Don’t get me wrong, I think a building a new arena has the potential to be great for the city, but only if it is done properly. According to proponents of a new downtown arena, moving the home of the Oilers from Gretzky Drive to 104th street will revitalize the core of the city. Personally, I would like an explanation as to how a giant building that sits empty 90% of the time is going to accomplish this.
Sure, people might head downtown before 1 of the 42 home games for dinner, or stick around after the game for a beverage or two. But, if there is a real market for this kind of game-related activity then why aren’t their any alternatives to the Coliseum Inn and the Diesel bar outside of Rexall Place? Besides, I would suggest that most people who get off work early enough to make an evening out of an Oiler game are already heading downtown for dinner. After all it is half way to Rexall from the south side, where most of Edmonton lives by now. Seriously though, it is naïve to think that placing an arena downtown is going to revitalize the core. How about actually fixing problems like Edmonton's massive urban sprawl or lack of affordable downtown housing instead of trying to draw people back to what used to be the heart of the city temporarily, with an arena?
The second concern that I have centers around financing this arena. Katz has repeatedly stated that he will contribute $100 million to its construction, which is great but arenas don’t get built for $100 million. Mayor Mandel has also stated publicly that he supports a downtown location but financing a new arena should not be the burden of taxpayers. My concern stems from a comment made by Katz during a local radio interview in which he implied that it was Mayor Mandel who suggested that $100 million would “get it done.” Needless to say it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Ultimately, I do believe that the project does have the potential to be great for the city. Take a look at what the Columbus’ recently developed Arena District has done for their downtown core. Nationwide Arena (home of the Bluejackets) is the center of what is billed as the premier entertainment district in Columbus. The arena is surrounded by restaurants, bars, movie theaters, a health and fitness facility, and, most importantly, a wealth of housing (much of it affordable). This type of project would much more effectively revitalize the downtown core while also serving to combat some of the growth problems facing our city. Obviously, this type of undertaking would require much more planning, and since planning takes time it is my fear that creative ideas such as this one will be pushed aside in order to get something built “sooner rather than later.”
For those who are interested the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is hosting a conference on the role of sports and entertainment complexes in urban development on February 12th at the Crown Plaza Chateau Lacombe.
