The Halifax Regional Stadium - Why It's Smart
Halifax is a smart city and it is smart to build a stadium. Here’s three reasons why it is smart to build a stadium.
We Are a Major City
The Halifax Regional Municipality is the largest city east of Montreal. It is a member of Canada’s Big City’s Club that includes Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. We ARE a major league city. We have a growing population of over 359,000 and Mayor Kelly states on his website, Metro Halifax is the commercial, educational, research and technological centre of Atlantic Canada. We should act like it.
If Halifax wants to remain sitting at the hub city’s table, it must demonstrate the right stuff to be there. A big component of the right stuff is to create the infrastructure to take the next step to host major sports events, trade shows, festivals and big name bigger draw concerts. With a sports stadium Halifax will have the infrastructure support major league sports franchises and host international sporting events such as the Commonwealth and Pan American games.
If we want be moved to the card table with the Moncton, Kingston and the crowd of middle cities then starting conversations with "we can’t do it" and "we can’t afford it" is a good way to get there. The quickest way to lose at politics, sports or anything in life is to throw in the proverbial towel before the match even begins.
Civic Pride
A central focal point, such as a CFL franchise, elevates community pride and solidarity. We will develop greater regional pride and develop a regional sense of being and move away from parochial thoughts of former municipal units of Bedford, Dartmouth and the County. Academics contend, and I believe have it right, when they write "the physical and psychological well-being of a community should concern officials just as much as a community’s fiscal health." The psychological impact of a 20,000 seat stadium with a CFL franchise, increased trade shows, bigger and better concerts, and festivals in metro would be huge.
Professional sports franchises and high profile sporting events rise a city’s international, national and regional image. Recall the pride we felt when we hosted the World Juniors and Halifax received international exposure. It was a pretty neat and proud feeling watching Halifax being broadcast around the world. Hosting such events has an uplifting psychological impact on the entire region which is over and above the positive economic impact of such events.
Economic Growth
Being able to host an increasing number of sports events, trade shows, concerts and festivals will heighten the demand for hotels, restaurants and other commercial products. A new stadium will an economic catalyst for urban renewal and growth. In addition to the immediate number of jobs created for development and construction of the facility, long term sustainable economic activity will follow. Ask anyone who owns a bar, restaurant or hotel next door to BC Place Stadium!! In addition to the direct economic impact, financial gurus can outline the direct and indirect long-term economic benefits of tax revenue and indirect spending. A new stadium will rev even more the economic engine of the HRM.
Where Do We Go From Here?
What we need now is a team of public and private sector entrepreneurs who can design a plan of how we can move ahead. The team should focus on creating a winning approach through maximizing sponsorship opportunities, community involvement and federal, provincial and federal public-private partnerships. With a new stadium the Halifax Regional Municipality will be acting like a major league city, continue to grow economically and most importantly our civic pride will become even stronger!
We Are a Major City
The Halifax Regional Municipality is the largest city east of Montreal. It is a member of Canada’s Big City’s Club that includes Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. We ARE a major league city. We have a growing population of over 359,000 and Mayor Kelly states on his website, Metro Halifax is the commercial, educational, research and technological centre of Atlantic Canada. We should act like it.
If Halifax wants to remain sitting at the hub city’s table, it must demonstrate the right stuff to be there. A big component of the right stuff is to create the infrastructure to take the next step to host major sports events, trade shows, festivals and big name bigger draw concerts. With a sports stadium Halifax will have the infrastructure support major league sports franchises and host international sporting events such as the Commonwealth and Pan American games.
If we want be moved to the card table with the Moncton, Kingston and the crowd of middle cities then starting conversations with "we can’t do it" and "we can’t afford it" is a good way to get there. The quickest way to lose at politics, sports or anything in life is to throw in the proverbial towel before the match even begins.
Civic Pride
A central focal point, such as a CFL franchise, elevates community pride and solidarity. We will develop greater regional pride and develop a regional sense of being and move away from parochial thoughts of former municipal units of Bedford, Dartmouth and the County. Academics contend, and I believe have it right, when they write "the physical and psychological well-being of a community should concern officials just as much as a community’s fiscal health." The psychological impact of a 20,000 seat stadium with a CFL franchise, increased trade shows, bigger and better concerts, and festivals in metro would be huge.
Professional sports franchises and high profile sporting events rise a city’s international, national and regional image. Recall the pride we felt when we hosted the World Juniors and Halifax received international exposure. It was a pretty neat and proud feeling watching Halifax being broadcast around the world. Hosting such events has an uplifting psychological impact on the entire region which is over and above the positive economic impact of such events.
Economic Growth
Being able to host an increasing number of sports events, trade shows, concerts and festivals will heighten the demand for hotels, restaurants and other commercial products. A new stadium will an economic catalyst for urban renewal and growth. In addition to the immediate number of jobs created for development and construction of the facility, long term sustainable economic activity will follow. Ask anyone who owns a bar, restaurant or hotel next door to BC Place Stadium!! In addition to the direct economic impact, financial gurus can outline the direct and indirect long-term economic benefits of tax revenue and indirect spending. A new stadium will rev even more the economic engine of the HRM.
Where Do We Go From Here?
What we need now is a team of public and private sector entrepreneurs who can design a plan of how we can move ahead. The team should focus on creating a winning approach through maximizing sponsorship opportunities, community involvement and federal, provincial and federal public-private partnerships. With a new stadium the Halifax Regional Municipality will be acting like a major league city, continue to grow economically and most importantly our civic pride will become even stronger!
posted by Pete at 12:29 PM
