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No
dollars from N.B. for stadium There is no money on the horizon from the provincial government to help refurbish the Canada Games Stadium at UNBSJ, Premier Shawn Graham says. "This year we are making a $45-million investment, a critical investment in Saint John, in the community college system down here," he told an editorial board meeting at the Telegraph-Journal. "That was one of the top priorities under the Benefits Blueprint plan. The Canada Games Stadium was not one of the top priorities under the Benefits Blueprint plan." The Benefits Blueprint is a community plan designed to capture the potential economic growth involved with the anticipated energy boom The stadium and track, built for the 1985 Canada Games, are at the top of the city's recreation committee wish list for refurbishment. The original estimate for the project was $3.8 million, but newer studies have discovered drainage problems that need to be fixed before the field can be covered in artificial turf, so the estimate is now around $5.8 million, said Barry Ogden chairman of the city's recreation committee. "What we would like to see is a full plan put together for the rehabilitation of this infrastructure," Graham said. "What is the cost sharing, municipal, federal, what's going to come forward from the community. There is still some more work to be done on that. Government can't be the one with the first foot on the track with this one." Last month Stuart Jamieson, minister of tourism and MLA for Saint John-Fundy, hinted at what was coming, saying he hadn't obtained a commitment from the province for any funding. "We are seeing what we can do with the budget because we are facing some pretty harsh economic times right now," he said. "We are working hard to try to get something for them." Roly MacIntyre, MLA for Saint John East, said the city first asked for $1 million last year, but later came back and asked for $2.8 million. That would make it the largest contribution from the province for a sports-related project, surpassing the Q-Plex in Quispamsis, which got $2.5 million in 2007. "We're not opposed to the project, but it's a tough year financially for us as well," MacIntyre said. Chris Callbeck, assistant vice-president of financial and administrative services at UNBSJ, said the university needs help with the refurbishment if it is to go ahead. The city has set aside money over the past couple of years in the range of $1.6 million to $2.2 million, some of it coming from Brunswick Pipeline Ltd., as a result of the natural gas pipeline passing through Rockwood Park. When funding requests are made to the province, the city is always asked to say where the project sits on the priority list. "All I can say as chair of the leisure services board is that it is our number one priority," Ogden said. The leisure services committee also sees the need for another ice surface in the city to replace the one lost when the Simonds Arena was closed, Ogden said. The lack of ice time not only affects minor hockey, it also has an impact on senior men's hockey and is holding back the development of women's hockey. Senior men's hockey games are now being scheduled after midnight, which is not a great selling point for attracting to the city people who want to play at that level, Ogden said. "That lack of recreation is hurting the economic growth of the city," he said. The committee also wants to look at a possible public private partnership to provide a domed playing field to extend the season for sports like soccer, tennis and football, he said. |