Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

That reminds of a conversation at work earlier this week when this senior manager mentioned a new location our company is building. I asked where and she said "Across the highway from the Palladium" lol.

I approve of that name. I would also accept Canadian Tire Centre or CTC.

Just don't call it Scotiabank Place.

[northernlights99]

it's the same petition

Originally Posted by elly63

Why is the beginning of that url different from this url
https://www.change.org/p/reject-the-...of-in-montreal

[harls]

Originally Posted by northernlights99

Wouldn't be surprised if this petition is AI

Wouldn't be surprised if you were, either.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by harls

Wouldn't be surprised if you were, either.

I would say the use of AI would be a pretty good assumption especially the early posts. I also wonder why the poster mentioned a Quebec politician's recall when they do that in California and not Canada.

[northernlights99]

this petition is Definitely AI generated, the petitioner does not exist :

https://www.change.org/p/reject-the-...of-in-montreal

explain how else it could generate so much interest, 7500 signatures, even got picked up by AI controlled media.

Assuming mine is AI, why would AI generate two petitions of opposing viewpoints ?

[harls]

Give me a recipe for Beef Bourginon instant pot.

[zahav]

Great proposal for Saskatoon. Nothing like a new arena and convention centre to solidify yourself as a major city. And it looks well thought out. But it is very much just a vision, it is not funded whatsoever. I don't know the political/civic climate in Saskatoon, but look what a saga it has been for Calgary to get a new arena/convention centre. So many attempts, then failure, and a lack of cooperation amongst all parties (the city, the team owners, and the province). Finally it got approved just last year. A quick Google search on the project already turns up news articles and opinion pieces against the project (I won't torture myself by reading that). I can understand when people's concern is strictly around public money being used, that is a legit consideration, as the costs for mega projects like this can be enormous, and especially risky for a city Saskatoon's size. But some people just oppose it because "the existing venue is just fine". Obviously just as an outsider with no in-person experience of the current arena:
-it looks adequate in size (over 15,000, very respectable considering there's no professional sports other than minor leagues). Arenas like Save On Foods Centre in Victoria (7,006 Hockey and 9,000 for Concerts) and Prospera Place in Kelowna (5,507 hockey and 8,000 for concerts) have much lower capacities, while having the same type of sports playing as Sasktel Centre.
-it is not that old. 1988 is not old beyond all hope, updates can be done to keep using an arena from that time. Look at BC Place, it is 6 years older than Sasktel Centre and was renovated adequately. And Sasktel is only 7 years older than Rogers Arena in Vancouver, so basically a right in between Rogers and BC Place, both of which have plenty of life left
-the main factor here is location. Had Sasktel been built right in downtown, I don't think there would be a push to build new. But circumstances as they are, Sasktel is an adequate venue for what it serves, but in the wrong location
-the convention centre expansion is a good idea (again, I have no clue the health or demand for that in Saskatoon particularly, but it is almost always a good decision putting larger, newer convention space right in a downtown). I assume the same logic applies to Saskatoon, it certainly has potential as a bigger convention destination). And governments always foot the bill for convention centres, it's the way it's done. Other than tourism boards or smaller civic groups, the bulk of funding for civic centres/convention centres is by levels of government. People will always hoo and haw about cost or necessity of these venues, but as long as they aren't a white elephant, they usually turn out being popular for a city in years to come (even iconic in some cases, ie. Canada Place). The uproar over cost normally dissipates and stops being a focus once the venue opens, even in projects that run well over budget. As long as the venue delivers, is popular, and generally has a positive impact on the downtown, then people move on from costs.

The arena portion though... that's a different story. Subsidizing a new arena to replace "a perfectly good existing one" would be less popular, especially being publicly funded. And without a big sports franchise in the city, not sure where the private investment would come from? But I do hope it gets done, everyone's rooting for you Saskatoon!

[elly63]

Originally Posted by harls

Give me a recipe for Beef Bourginon instant pot.

Not bourguignon but pretty good

[harls]

Originally Posted by elly63

Not bourguignon but pretty good

Hey, I didn't want a recipe from a real person!

[zahav]

Speaking of new arenas...

Surrey mayor announces plan for 12,000-seat stadium, two new entertainment districts

“This means we will invest in big-city amenities, like major sporting and events facilities, entertainment and music venues.”

As part of Locke’s economic plan, she said city council is looking to add a 12,000-seat stadium or arena in Surrey, with an economic and feasibility study launching Friday to consider a plan to finance the venue.

“There are still too many residents leaving the city for their entertainment,” Locke said.

No renderings or any details more than this, and it was in a speech during a luncheon at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel, so probably a board of trade thing. Hardly a splashy formal public announcement like the Saskatoon one. And yet, the article says an economic and feasibility study was launching yesterday (the day after the announcement) to consider a plan to finance the venue. So although the proposal has no details yet, Mayor Locke appears to be fast tracking this by launching the feasibility study immediately. It also gives a vague indication of the location options:

Three locations are now being considered for the venue — in the city centre near the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre, on city-owned land in Newton, and at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.

Locke said Surrey has already received interest from semi-professional sports teams who would consider using the arena.

Anything other than in the city centre would be a huge mistake. Putting it in Cloverdale or Newton would be awful, an arena of this size needs to be in the dense downtown core, very walkable for the immediate downtown zone, close to rapid transit (a MUST for sporting events IMO), and with a large urban population surrounding it. I know these aren't universal requirements, and many cities do of course have arenas outside a downtown core. But it's clear what Surrey has been doing for years now, they want the city centre to really get some heft. They have added not only an ungodly amount of new condos downtown, but also hotel space, office space, and civic facilities like the library, new city hall, etc. An arena anywhere but in this area would be a lost opportunity. I'm not sure the exact lot in city centre they reference, but that area is already a good cluster of sports uses. There's the Whalley Athletic Park, which has a decent size baseball stadium as well as 3 other baseball diamonds. Then of course there is the BC Lion's training grounds. The recreation centre is meh, it's on the low end of amenities, same as a standard community centre (especially compared to rec centres like Hillcrest in Vancouver, with a full ice rink and aquatic centre). Surrey recently placed its big new ice rink in an industrial location outside of downtown, so that was a bit of a let down. The city closed the rec centre that was previously right in the city centre, a 1965-built one story building that was well past its useful life. But it had a large pool and ice arena. Not sure why they didn't include a pool at Chuck Bailey, seems like a miss.

Regardless, the city centre seems by far the best choice. Let's hope it happens, and not in Cloverdale or Newton

[northernlights99]

What about the Champlain Bridge, another waste of money ? 5 billion bucks. Did people complain then about that ? Let the bridge fall into the river along with the cars crossing it so the Govt has some money left over for the homeless.

[northernlights99]

Since when does Artificial Intelligence form opinions ? Answer that before you bash me of being AI ! If you wanna disagree with my stance and prefer to see that pathetic wet diaper hang over the Stadium for the next 50 years for tourists to admire (not to mention Desjardins workers to try not to look at as the file into work inside the tower every morning), fine but don't accuse others of something they are not ! Not appreciated !

[harls]

Originally Posted by northernlights99

What about the Champlain Bridge, another waste of money ? 5 billion bucks. Did people complain then about that ? Let the bridge fall into the river along with the cars crossing it so the Govt has some money left over for the homeless.

Now you just sound angry because you read my location, and you are searching your algorithms because you searched my location or something.

Are you really in the Yukon, like your IP suggests?

Who writes sentences like this ? With extra spaces ?

#taytay

[elly63]

Originally Posted by harls

Are you really in the Yukon, like your IP suggests?

Who writes sentences like this ? With extra spaces ?

I was just going to say that (as I posted before). Possibly a lonely Californian in Yukon, or Yukon VPN? Why did R2D2 change his name just after he joined the forum.

What is a wet diaper or anti-hero dollar? Or Bank Stadium built in 2 1/2 anti-hero years. What is an anti-hero year?

Also funny that C3P0 used Bank Stadium as an example after I raised it as an example of what the new roof could be composed of.

I'll keep playing along with the troll (both verb and noun) just because I am curious of what is really going on with these posts. I was a mod at another big site and learned a lot, I suspect everything and everyone, You usually can figure out something or someone is dodgy after two (sometimes one) posts.

[thurmas]

https://theprovince.com/sports/footb...ns-by-surprise

Surrey Mayor's 'vague' plans for stadium catches B.C. Lions by surprise
Stadium proposed by mayor Brenda Locke is too small for the Lions to play in, but could it house a practice facility? The Lions would love to know the answer to that question.

When Surrey mayor Brenda Locke said the city was already in the groundwork phase for building a new sports venue in the city on Thursday, it caught everyone by surprise.

The proposed 12,000 seat facility Locke suggested is already in the preplanning stages and wouldn’t work as a replacement for their playing field, but could potentially be part of a new practice facility.

The Leos have been fixtures in the Whalley area for 40 years, their practice facility serving as their business headquarters as well up until last season. The club is just about two years into a five-year lease that costs them $1.39M over the life of the deal, a below-market rate that reflects the organization’s impact and outreach in the community. They’ve leased the land since 1991.

“I didn’t know that this was coming out in advance. … The first time I heard about this was yesterday, when it got released,” said Lions president Duane Vienneau. “I’m curious to hear what they’re doing. At the end of the day, we’re all ears. What are they doing? It’s been very vague so far.

“Does that mean that there’s a new practice facility in the works? I don’t know. … We’re curious more on what their plans are and what their ultimate goal is, and so we will be reaching out to find out more and try to learn more in the near future.”

Locke had referred to some “semi-pro” teams that had reached out with interest, but didn’t indicate which organization or sport they belonged to. A 12,000-seat facility would be too large for a junior hockey team or a Canadian Premier League club — Vancouver FC has found a home at the Langley Events Centre — and too small for the likes of the Lions or Vancouver Whitecaps to relocate there for games. Some current city councillors have said Locke’s vision is too small for the area.

Former mayor Doug McCallum had proposed a massive 60,000 seat stadium for the region during his re-election campaign, a building that likely could cost more than one billion dollars to construct. A smaller footprint building, with half the seats, would be much more affordable and in line with the needs of the potential main tenants.

Vienneau said no one asked for the Lions’ input on that 2022 proposal, either.

McCallum fired a broadside at Locke’s plan on Friday, telling the Indo-Canadian voice: “Surrey deserves a facility that mirrors its global aspirations and dynamic growth, not a small-minded, out-of-touch, lacklustre plan that undermines our potential. Surrey is not just a suburb of Vancouver; it is the city of tomorrow, ready to host the world,” he said, pointing to city-owned land near the future SkyTrain station at 168th at Fraser Highway as a potential site.

“To prepare for our future, we must aim for a stadium with at least a 40,000-seat capacity, meeting the minimum requirement for hosting FIFA games.”

An open-air stadium with covered seats, one suitable for both football and soccer, makes sense, especially with natural grass being preferred by both FIFA and football’s organizing bodies — not to mention the players.

Even if much of their fan base begrudges their long trip from the valley downtown, the Lions are perfectly happy to continue their playing residence at B.C. Place, which will host the Grey Cup this November. Their attendance is rising, Vienneau said season tickets are “flying off the shelf,” and the resurgence in interest is backed by the fact they’ve opened the upper deck four times in the past two seasons.

But while their stadium had a half-billion dollar renovation in 2011, their practice facility has had a new coat of paint, and that’s about it. The team moved their business operations downtown, making room for their coaches and players in the Surrey facility, but it still cries out for some improvement.

“That building has been around for a long, long time. It’s tired,” said Vienneau. “We’re trying to constantly upgrade a little bit. … We’re constantly trying to make it a better space because it’s old and tired and it hasn’t had a lot of love in a long time.

“We’ve been a longtime tenant and resident of Surrey. So the bottom line is … we don’t really know what they’re planning, and we’re just curious to hear what their plans are.”

[elly63]

Originally Posted by harls

Hey, I didn't want a recipe from a real person!

How do you know it's real, AI can easily replicate gay Brooklynites.

[northernlights99]

Read my petition ! It says I live in Montreal. Get your Google assistant to translate that into a language you understand ! How much more clear does this have to be ?

Do you think its possible that some people may work in other parts of the country during winter ? But still be "living" somewhere else ?

Something called the oil and gas industry ? What work do you do or do you work at all ?

Of course not. For some people the elevator just doesn't go to the top floor. Much easier to come on here and creep people's IP addresses.

But you go right ahead with your speculation and your delusional world of AI paranoia that you live in. Just remember that other petition being circulated fighting a new roof and being pushed by the anti government media uses Bots to create phoney email addresses.

7500 signatures, bull.

My petition is honest. No bot generated email addresses.

Furthermore I don't derive personal satisfaction out of creeping people's IP addresses. Is this what you do for employment ? You sound well connected.

And for your information, Anti Hero is the title of one of her most popular songs. She just drew 100,000 fans in Melbourne in Australia. Talk about people being crazed and obsessed. Largest crowd ever in concert history for a female headliner.

https://chng.it/cpDgW6Jh5H

[northernlights99]

another bleeding heart using bots to generate fake signatures:

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-bi...ocation=search

[northernlights99]

For the majority of people on here not around in 1976 or in diapers at that time and too young to recall, this is Olympic Stadium during the Games as Open air with no diaper roof.

You can see the cranes at far end constructing the incline tower.

For the young people on this board, this was the way Olympic stadium looked for 11 years. I don't recall people back then complaining about being outside for events.

So enough with the misinformation the Stadium can't be operated again as Open air for a shorter period of time like a year or so.

Note the technical ring.

[elly63]

I'm still in the I don't know if I am annoyed or entertained stage. The Taylor Swift and diaper obsession is kinda pervy.