Downtown Arena Meeting

Edmontonians have their say about the downtown arena project at city hall.

3rd & 7 37yd

Over 100 people were signed up to speak. First few speakers are already no shows.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 3:51:28 PM
Mayor Mandel thinks it will take longer to organize the speakers than to hear what they have to say.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 3:51:59 PM
Mandel asks crowd not to cheer or call out when people are speaking.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 3:57:17 PM
Former mayor Cecil Purves was the third speaker of the day, he was very critical of the proposal and the debt it would cause.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:07:22 PM
Speaker number four says the arena debate has cost her her faith in democracy.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:11:21 PM
So far all of the speakers have been vehemently opposed to the arena.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:15:31 PM
Ken Barry from the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce speaking on behalf of the arena. Says the arena is a "pivotal deal for the city of Edmonton, and a great deal for Edmontonians."

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:17:44 PM
Barry says that in any other city, Katz would have been celebrated with a "ticker tape parade".

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:19:52 PM
i believe that the city needs to stop investing so much money into this arena and start to help people who really need help like the homeless, lower income families and most importantly kids in need. The city just keeps wasting all there meeting times on the same discussion over and over. its time to move on because we have a perfectly good arena here that the city could help upgrade.....

by heather 10/25/2011 4:24:31 PM
Can't people see that this is about more than an arena? It's about growing our dowtown to bring life and prosperity to it. It will pay back the city a hundred fold.

by Kris Speldon 10/25/2011 4:24:57 PM
there are better projects for the city to spend money on. projects that benefit many instead of a select few. how about if Katz and the oilers wants this they can pay for it not the tax payers

by Tracy 10/25/2011 4:25:20 PM
www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/newarena

by Lady_Lindsay31 10/25/2011 4:25:37 PM
Agreed Kris, this ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT would greatly benefit the city. I really hope today's meetings are not going to be lopsided and that there are a equal amount of speakers for BOTH sides of the issue

by Linda 10/25/2011 4:26:31 PM
It's not an "arena" project, it's a "downtown" project. Council needs to look ahead 10 to 20 years, not just to the next budget and election year.

by Kris Speldon 10/25/2011 4:28:19 PM
Speaker number eight says council needs to focus on social problems before supporting private business. She says the NHL encourages violence, which will worsen social problems in the downtown core.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:29:00 PM
I think they should go ahead with the #yeg #arena not just for the #Oilers but as The city of Edmonton,The city of champions. We need a world class arena as much as I love Rexall,Rexall is the oldest building standing arena

by Lady_Lindsay31 10/25/2011 4:29:48 PM
Why are people making this all about hockey? The oilers are not the only ones who are going to be using it. A new entertainment district could bring in lots of other things, such as more big name concerts and such.

by Linda 10/25/2011 4:31:27 PM
I think the idea for a new arena is great. the location need to be seriously rethought. traffic around rexall and downtown are terrible already. combine the two, and it will be absolutely terrible, and chaotic. If it were where rexall is now, or in a different location all together, it would be a fantastic idea, for all parties involved.

by Corrine 10/25/2011 4:32:46 PM
yes this might "revitalize" the downtown, but at what cost? sports economics studies have shown that these types of mega projects only shift money around - that is, they will move money people would have spent anyways to a new area of the city. they don't bring significant new tourism dollars to the city. the coliseum area will become depressed, and the city will be heavily in debt. if you want to make an argument that it will be an amazing project to define the city, or another non-economic argument so be it, but to me the economic argument holds no merit. the arena will have hardly any more seats than the current one, just tons of more luxury boxes. and you can't say that the oilers "need it", because again the studies show the shiny new arena doesn'
t help teams win.

by smarsh 10/25/2011 4:33:21 PM
I agree with Linda,Not just would it be the #Oilers arena it can be used for so much more. Yes The traffic is crazy but that does happen all round the NHL and big concerts

by Lady_Lindsay31 10/25/2011 4:34:32 PM
Does Edmonton need an entertainment district? Seems to me there are already big name concerts come to town. City counsel should have waved good bye to Mr Katz when he started the blackmail.

by LJC 10/25/2011 4:34:38 PM
People have to realize that this is about aiding the downtown core itself. Look at the Art Gallery and Windspear, not everyone attends things there and yet we have them. And we have the Jubilee so don't go saying we can't have two entertainment housing facilities in this city.

by Nick C 10/25/2011 4:35:02 PM
It would be laughable that Edmonton is again on the verge of sinking millions into yet another downtown white elephant if it wasn't for the fact that Alberta taxpayers will be on the hook for a large percentage of this project at some point. Also, nothing like inviting Vancouver-like issues into your downtown. Governments need to be reigned in. There's only one taxpaper, making the same salary. We can't continue on this path...

by Southern transplant 10/25/2011 4:35:34 PM
yeah they really are not thinking past the next election. it seems as if there a lot of people with thier own agendas here. and thats not right, or fair.

by Corrine 10/25/2011 4:35:55 PM
If you want the arena to happen here's a petition www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/newarena

by Lady_Lindsay31 10/25/2011 4:36:11 PM
General tone of the meeting at this point is against the arena. Those speaking in favour would prefer that public money not be spent on the project.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:37:39 PM
That's what I was afraid of, it's going to be one-sided today. The people who are for the project obviously were not asked to speak, UNLESS they had conditions on it being built. That's our government for you. They are never willing to hear both sides of the story, instead make LOOK one sided, so they don't have to use their own heads and actually make a REAL decision.

by Linda 10/25/2011 4:40:05 PM
Its befuddles me how we have beat this up for 2 years and we really need a new building downtown and yet council had no issues spending 1/4 billion on the 23rd ave and there was no flak that the delays cost us more money from when it was firast proposed. Also I do not go to the museum or the art gallery but they are great for the city.

by Cbar 10/25/2011 4:45:34 PM
Yes the arena is going to cost quite a bit but we can get the money back from ticket sales,renvue costs etc...I'm all for building the new arena #yeg

by Lady_Lindsay31 10/25/2011 4:45:36 PM
For those who live and work downtown, this is a bad idea. any time there is a game or event, say goodbye to making it home in time for dinner with traffic. Have you seen the jams by Rexall Place as it is now? can you imagine that in our poorly laid out downtown grid? And how revitalized is the current arena and stadium areas of town now? especially with the shelters only a stone's throw away this new downtown will be a cesspool like Vancouver's downtown. Put the money in education or infrastucture, the actual future of the city rather than in the pockets of the elite 5% of Edmontonians who own businesses and land downtown.

by No Arena 10/25/2011 4:45:42 PM
No for the arena, we have one, this money can be spent in much better ways. There's monye for museums, arena, but no money for important things like school!

by Ella 10/25/2011 4:45:45 PM
We also have very high taxes as it is, I don't want my taxes to increase and go towards this useless arena, so that oilers have have a nicer place to loose!

by Ella 10/25/2011 4:45:51 PM
Entrepreneur John Trapp says the arena will bring business to the city, and as such the city must say yes to the downtown arena.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:46:20 PM
The city has nothing to do with schools, that's provincial.

by Linda 10/25/2011 4:46:23 PM
It's spelt "lose". And our taxes wouldn't go up. Stay informed...

by Nick C 10/25/2011 4:47:19 PM
Trapp says the arena is more than a hockey issue, but an investment in culture.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:48:24 PM
Well said Mr. Trapp!

by Linda 10/25/2011 4:49:09 PM
Also, the budget is split into different divisions people. Arts and Culture are an important part of society. Hockey is part of our culture. Museum is too. Money should be going to all these things.

by Nick C 10/25/2011 4:49:13 PM
There's pros and there's cons

by Lady_Lindsay31 10/25/2011 4:49:31 PM
Nick C, you obviously don't own a home. TAXES ALWAYS GO UP. with this arena money gets diverted away from critcal things like shoveling snow. That paves the way for more increases to cover those services. Don't know how long youv'e been here but the City ran out of snow removal money last year.

by No Arena 10/25/2011 4:49:38 PM
Well said Mr. Trapp!

by Lady_Lindsay31 10/25/2011 4:49:51 PM
Business owner John Chomiak says past investments by city council in large projects have paid off, and that civic projects such as the downtown arena will grow the economy.

by Karyn Mulcahy 10/25/2011 4:50:46 PM
I do own a home. Taxes aren't going up to pay for the Arena Project...

by Nick C 10/25/2011 4:50:49 PM

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Downtown Arena Meeting

Edmontonians have their say about the downtown arena project at city hall.