• Canadian Taxpayers Federation says no to $80-million phony P3

WINNIPEG: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) responded to the Winnipeg Football Club's announcement they would be pursuing the Creswin Properties Ltd. proposal for building a new Blue Bomber stadium. The proposal, which includes the stadium, commercial development and transfer of team ownership to the private investor, has a $145 million price tag. $80 million of which would come from taxpayers.

"This proposal is being touted as a public-private partnership (P3) but it appears more like a public partner pays and private partner gains arrangement," stated CTF Manitoba Director Adrienne Batra. "Why are taxpayers being shanghaied into propping up investment returns for business interests to the tune of $80 million "

Proponents of this funding arrangement are pointing to success of the MTS Centre. "To be sure, the MTS Centre itself has done well, however all of the economic spin-off taxpayers were assured have not materialized," added
Batra. "But because the MTS Centre was going to be profitable, is exactly
why it shouldn't have received public money."

The NDP has in this election campaign committed to provide funding for a new stadium, the federal government, however, has not. It is not clear how much of the required $40 million from the province Gary Doer is willing to provide. "It is easy for him to make these types of funding commitments since Manitoba is awash with transfer payments from richer provinces," said Batra.

"The only real value the government could add to this deal would be to relieve the tax burden that prevents the business community from acting alone. Sadly, the idea of funding a pseudo-public works project on the back of taxpayers simply reinforces the mentality that nothing in Manitoba can succeed without government intervention," concluded Batra.