The debate is over on where to put the proposed $106.1 million event centre.
City council voted 11 to two at Monday night’s meeting in favour of the recommendation to have the 5,700-seat facility in the north core. Only councillors Larry Hebert and Linda Rydholm voted against the recommendation. Hebert had asked that council delay the decision so that they could focus on flood relief while Rydholm said she couldn’t support it because she needed more information.
The approval means the city can move forward onto Phase 3 of the project and start seeking funding from both the federal and provincial governments.
City Manager Tim Commisso said the future of the project will depend if they received additional funding whether that be from senior levels of government or from the private sector.
“The goal of this project is to try to do it without any city debt,” Commisso said. “To me, if we can achieve that over the next year I think it makes it very affordable. If it’s not then the question of affordability is really on whether or not council wants to move forward. My view is if we don’t get support from other levels of government then this project is too costly. Council has given us now with a location the concept to really pursue the whole discussion about funding.”
Prior to the vote, council was given chance to explain their reasons for making their decision.
Hebert, a supporter for the Innova Park location, said his vote was against the recommendation not the fact the city needed an event centre. He said he wished council would keep in mind the city’s other priorities.
“Yeah we are helping the people with flood relief but we could be facing a $500 million class action lawsuit,” Hebert said.
“I think we have to look at those things. If we don’t we’re just kidding ourselves.”
Mayor Keith Hobbs said he has seen no good reason why the city shouldn’t put the event centre in the north core over Innova Park. He said he was tired of people opposing projects in the city such as the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, the Community Auditorium, the condominiums and hotel near the waterfront.
If the city is going develop then projects like the event centre have to move forward, he said.
“I believe it is affordable,” Hobbs said. “I believe we cannot afford to not build this facility if we’re going to move this city forward. We’ve had a flood but you cannot stop building the city because you had a catastrophic event. We’ll deal with that flood and we’ll get over it.”
At-Large Coun. Iain Angus said the modern planning involving public input can get messy but has since improved from what it was once before.
“Fifty years ago I suspect most of the planning around the Fort William Gardens was done behind closed doors,” he said.
“It didn’t have the level of consultation that this facility has had. This is not a done deal. We’re just moving to the next phase of examination of public consultation of talking to potential partners in terms of funding.”
