Another monument to Socialism for the Rich!
The people of Edmonton do not need to fund a new arena. We have an arena that seems to do just fine for watching overpaid athletes chase a rubber disk around while on ice-skates.
This whole hoopla has started because of the Edmonton Oilers owner, Daryl Katz decided that he wants his overpriced jock-shack downtown as opposed to the current site. Katz would contribute to building the surrounding infrastructure as well.
I’m just not sold on the idea. I am leery of having my tax dollars going toward funding sports teams that show little or no loyalty to the town and could possibly leave at any time (that pesky market you know). I do like the idea of adding a ticket surcharge to hockey tickets, because then those who want this monstrosity will be the ones paying for it. It seems to be a more fair solution to recouping the costs for the proposed downtown arena.
As far as reasonable entertainment is concerned lets compare a season with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra:
A B C D E
| Encore & Applause Adult (12 concerts) | $684 | $552 | $432 | $372 | $252 | ||||||
| Encore & Applause Stu/Sen (12 concerts) | $684 | $516 | $408 | $360 | $240 | ||||||
| Encore OR Applause Adult (6 concerts) | $348 | $282 | $240 | $204 | $126 | ||||||
| Encore OR Applause Stu/Sen (6 concerts) | $348 | $264 | $216 | $192 | $120 | ||||||
| Single Ticket Price | $71 | $61 | $52 | $38 | $28 | $20 | |||||
| Ticket fees apply to single ticket purchases | |||||||||||
Or the Opera…
The Edmonton Opera 2010-11 Season
And then of course, the beloved Oilers…
Wow, $1250 dollars for the the worst seats in the house, and that is before transportation and food. What a deal.
Keep in mind that this is for some 40 odd home games of hockey, however it is still overpriced.
Comparatively speaking, you could go 12 symphonies and 4 operas at the highest tier and still come out ahead financially, not to mention a better more cultured person.
bleatmop
Mystro
The Arbourist
Dead Wild Roses 
9 comments
July 17, 2010 at 11:25 am
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July 17, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Moe
These stadiums are transparent swindles and cities all over this country fall for the con over and over and over. and hte people forget, again and again and again . . .
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July 17, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Vern R. Kaine
I think Edmonton needs something to revitalize its downtown. Mellon Arena does a lot for Pittsburgh being right downtown as does the Saddledome in Calgary being reasonable close as well. Edmonton’s current arena is basically in skidville. In addition to the jobs created, a more downtown location would probably give Edmonton’s downtown (retail) a much needed lift that the ESO alone simply cannot provide.
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July 17, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Vern R. Kaine
I think part of that, though, Moe, depends on the type of franchise and whether the city’s fan base can really support it in the first place. Example: Phoenix was never a “hockey town” and yet they built a (very cool) complex way out in the boonies to support the team that has had financial struggles since they moved there. Other southern franchises have had similar struggles when it comes to hockey. There was one playoff season where men’s bowling was being watched on TV more than the hockey playoffs in some markets.
Nowdays, the hockey season is are longer, the arenas are far more versatile (hosting concerts, junior sports, conventions, etc.) , and a hockey “plaza” with entertainment, restaurants, retail, etc. can make a lot of sense in the right market, especially if downtown, I think. I’ve lived in cities where they have it and as a businessperson and a sports fan, I think it can work well, especially in Edmonton which I believe is a true hockey town.
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July 17, 2010 at 10:57 pm
The Arbourist
It is possible Mr.Kaine, but I would like to see a little more entrepreneurial spirit from Mr.Katz. If this particular project is so darn awesome then taking a lion’s share of the cost should be no problem for the man listed 462nd on the fortune 500.
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July 17, 2010 at 11:01 pm
The Arbourist
This whole downtown project smells like a bad deal for the people of Edmonton. Would a new stadium/complex help things out? Maybe, or would we get the dead zone like around the Saddledome in Calgary where drunkenness and debauchery are par for the course. What we need in our downtown core is more open public space, as opposed to businesses where the yahoos can go to get blitzed for cheap, watch the game and then cause trouble in the city core. It just seems like a bad idea to me.
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July 17, 2010 at 11:51 pm
Vern R. Kaine
Perhaps apples to oranges there. Calgary’s arena is in a dump area, next to prostitution zones and industrial space. Apart from the casino there’s really nothing commercial about that space for about a 10 block radius. It’s the same with Rexall in Edmonton as it stands. Is The Forum still across the street? That place might as well have be the Cecil.
Edmonton’s downtown used to be more decrepid, too, until more restaurants, retail, and prime residential were introduced, and it raised the bar. I don’t know exactly what the answer is economically, but from my own experience I can say that the new arena in Pittsburgh “works” well as a concept (no hookers or fighting drunks), and the Jobing Arena complex “works” well in Phoenix, too, except that a) it’s in a crappy location, and b) Phoenix isn’t a hockey town. With that, I think if Edmonton tried something like that downtown it may actually work. One would have to be a hockey fan, though, to even entertain such a thought.
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July 18, 2010 at 1:03 am
Vern R. Kaine
The deal between Katz and the city would have to be an equitable one, since the city would be benefiting financially and therefore should bear some of the investment risk. I don’t know enough about the deal, though – is he pushing that the city pick up the bulk of the tab?
I’m wondering what perspective the city would take on such a deal in the first place? When I was there, Jan Reimer was mayor and sent the oil companies to to Calgary. That was also the time when she decided that ripping up Whyte Avenue was a great idea in the middle of The Fringe, forcing people to walk one of the busiest avenues in the city as a sidewalk. And who was that guy who wanted to convert Edmonton into Vegas North? And wasn’t one of the mayors a waiter? The Garmezian thing was another matter.
Last time I was up there they had the “fly from YEG” campaign which didn’t make a lot of sense to me, either. Edmonton was home to me for a long time and I have family there, so I’d like to see it do well.
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July 25, 2010 at 8:30 am
The Arbourist
The deal between Katz and the city would have to be an equitable one,
Precisely. The result I do not want to see is risk taken on the public dollar and the profits flow to the private interests. If there is to be cost sharing, there had better be revenue sharing on the other side of the balance sheet as well.
When I was there, Jan Reimer was mayor and sent the oil companies to to Calgary.
And in the process making Edmonton the recycling model for much of North America. The oil companies had no particular loyalty to Edmonton, nor do they to Calgary and will pull up stake as soon as greener pastures present themselves.
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