The True North Arena. Few words that evoke so much emotion. If you didn't like this foolish project from its inception, you're really not going to like it now. At last count taxpayers have doled out $38.5 million for the project and now the Chairman of the True North Entertainment Centre claims there is a $2 million shortage - so its time to belly up to the trough, again. That's right Manitoba taxpayers, just before the holidays begin we are being asked to kick in an additional $2 million for an undertaking we have already paid through the nose for.

When this plan was first put in motion, the CTF was front and center when it came to questioning the project's financing. Not too surprising, there were no politicians that could answer the simple question - why are taxpayers being shanghaied into propping up investment returns for a collection of business interests

Since the outset of this project too many questions have gone unanswered - for example if True North is such a worthy cause, then why haven't more businesses in the private sector been clamoring at the chance to get a piece of the investment pie Better yet, why weren't our elected officials beating their heads against the wall and demanding a cost benefit analysis or at the very least a business plan before committing millions of our dollars for a venture of this magnitude Unfortunately, Manitoba's politicians were awestruck by the chance to play central planner.

The other sad reality is that governments like nothing more than to be stroked into paying for a pseudo public works project like the arena. It somehow reinforces that socialist mentality that nothing in this province can possibly succeed without government intervention. This couldn't be further from the truth. Toronto's Air Canada Centre, Vancouver's General Motor's Place and Montreal's Molson Centre all came to be with little or no assistance from the "mighty" hand of government.

At a news conference it was confirmed that taxpayers would be shelling out more money for the True North Arena, interestingly though the Premier stated this will be the last time they give additional funding, but in the past the Premier claimed that he wouldn't put any money on the table until all of the private funding was put into place - my, how quickly things change.

Then it was Mayor Murray's turn to take the stage and justify his reasons for giving $1 million of the City's money (read: taxpayers money) to the True North project. Instead of any semblance of rational reasoning, the Mayor went on a rant about how wonderful it would be if we had the private sector dollars like Calgary does - perhaps someone should remind the Mayor that thanks to many of the policies that he has put into place, our entrepreneurs have left for that particular city.

The only real value that the government could add to this deal would be to relieve the tax burden that prevents the business community from acting alone. Fewer residents would defect to other provinces, they'll likely have more disposable income and investors in projects like True North would be in a better position to front the arena costs themselves.

So in the end, the CTF's prediction from a year ago has come true - the True North Centre has become a "white elephant" planted squarely in downtown Winnipeg. Here's another prediction - this won't be the last $2 million they ask for.