MONTRÉAL, QC: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation reacted to the cancellation of the baseball stadium project in Montreal.

“We’re relieved to know taxpayers won’t have to fork over hundreds of millions of dollars into yet another stadium project in Quebec,” said CTF Quebec Director Renaud Brossard. “The best way to bring baseball back to Montreal is to build a solid business plan that doesn’t rely on massive government subsidies that taxpayers can’t afford.”

The Groupe Baseball Montréal, led by Stephen Bronfman, was requesting a subsidy of “up to $300 million” from Quebec taxpayers to build a new stadium and attract the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team to play part-time in Montreal.

The Tampa Bay Times reported Major League Baseball had rejected the shared city plan proposed by Groupe Baseball Montréal and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Groupe Baseball Montréal has announced it would not go forward with its project this afternoon. Bronfman had previously closed the door on the idea of acquiring an expansion team, arguing the financial risk would be too high.

Academic research shows 83 per cent of economists say subsidizing sports stadiums is a bad deal for taxpayers.

“We know Groupe Baseball Montréal’s decision was a though one, but it was the right one,” said Brossard. “We hope baseball will come back to Montreal someday, as long as it’s done without taxpayers’ cash.”