Good council, whether it be in the sense of legal counsel or ‘municipal council’ tends to rely on ‘other similar cases’. In the legal sense, lawyers and judges use precedent and other cases as a basis for ‘case making’ – arguments for and against and decision making. In the case of Halifax’s current Mayor and municipal council, in so many situations that we debate and discuss in the media, our municipal council seems to not be looking at what other cities have done.
Take, for example, the Convention Centre. We need only to look at what other cities on the ocean or waterfront are doing with their convention centres. They put them on the water! Everyone wants a water view. Especially people visiting Halifax. It’s what we are known for. Its our heritage, and our future. Take the example of the Sewage Treatment Facilities. Other cities, particularly ones with the amount of precipitation we have in Halifax, undoubtedly implemented systems to deal with rain water overflow.
Then, we can look at the most recent example of decision making, the Occupy protests. We can look at the ‘case’ and example of other cities. Cities concerned about the global movement that Occupy represents, the endorsement, or, positive recommendation by prominent Canadians such as Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada who was recently named as the first Chairman of the global Financial Stability Board who recognizes the Occupy protests as “entirely constructive” and has been sympathetic to the protests coming to Canada. Or, for example, Paul Martin, former Prime Minister and arguably Canada’s best Finance Minister.
Halifax is a small, frankly tiny, city on a global scale. As always, we can talk about potential and that we need to come together to do things. Its the Maritime and Atlantic Canadian mantra. The thing is, Halifax Council, in particular, and others need to stop thinking that our problems and the situations and challenges we face as a community are unique. The individual who doesn’t recognize that his basic challenges and struggles are shared by other people will continue to suffer and fail to realize his potential. She will be stuck in a fixed approach with blinders on preventing from seeing things as they are and unable to empathize and think clearly about challenges. As a council and community, the same applies. Not recognizing that other communities face the same challenges and, frankly, deferring to approaches taken by larger cities who have more brainpower, more consultants and, frankly, ‘better council’ is the greatest downfall of our current municipal government.
Keeping things simpler and using other ‘cases’, other examples is a comforting and intelligent way to proceed.
My property taxes in 2008 were $3,476
My property taxes in 2011 are $5,943
My taxes have gone up 71 % in 13 years.
My house and property have not changed in the 13 years.
The services and programs I have access to have declined since the 1996 amalgamation.
My income has not changed by more than 3% over the last 5 years.
Taxpayers cannot afford to finance a new stadium so Mayor Kelly can compete with Moncton and put the Concert scandal behind him.
The Trade Centre is subsidized by the City and Province and loses money by the hundreds of thousands annually – bureaucrats cannot run breakeven operations.
Capital Projects handled by City staff often go overbudget (e.g. skating oval, Bi-Hi interchange) – City staff are not competent to control capital projects.
The Stadium will be another white elephant/drain on taxpayers, and without signed commitments for public-private partnering and Federal and Provincial funding it should NOT proceed.
$60.0 m was mentioned in the media as a cost – financing alone at 5% would be a $3.0m annual expense.
The Stadium should not proceed unless it can be guaranteed to operate on a full cost recovery basis.
The Province dropped the ball on their first PPP for schools.
They learned some lessons and the Wentworth toll road seems to be paying its way.
If the City must have mega-projects it should contract expertise from people with PPP experience – e.g. past bureaucrats who know the problems and loop holes, NOT private consultants who are gone once their pockets are lined.
The October 2011 Halifax Magazine (halifaxmag.com) had an interesting article on the subject which indicated to beware of overly optimistic feasibility studies , and there is a low/non-existent chance of getting a professional sport team to occupy the stadium.
Any feasibility study should be accompanied by an audit opinion setting out the range of estimates and assumptions contained in the study.
I read with interest the Stadium Studies commentary by Bill Black, a man for whom I have tremendous respect.
While I was pleased to see a bright mind like Mr. Black take an interest in the stadium, his comments confirm the need for clarification around several key points, including the current scope of the Council-appointed, citizen-led Stadium Analysis Steering Committee and our progress to date.
First, allow me to be clear about the the mandate of the Steering Committee. Our role in phase one of the analyses was to bring back to Council a recommendation as to whether a case to build the stadium could be made. This analysis, supported by the work of our consultants, was based on comparative analysis, recognized community need and interest, variability in use, and sustainability. Our conclusion and recommendations were presented to Council and debated at length in August. As a result, Council decided to move to phase two of the analysis: site selection, design, cost and financial modelling for a potential stadium. When that work is complete, Council will have another opportunity for debate and discussion before making a decision if a stadium will or will not be built.
Secondly, I would like to clarify a few points around the design of a potential stadium. It is true we are considering a stadium constructed to a minimum requirement to meet the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 tournament, however, it is important to note that we have at all times looked to broad community use of such a facility as well as potential for expansion should the need arise in the future. While major event hosting opportunities have also been considered, it is fair to say they are not the primary factor and that we are working to determine an appropriate size and design for a variety of uses.
For more than 20 years, this community has talked about a stadium in a debate that, while spirited, has not necessarily been well-informed The work of the Steering Committee, the HRM staff team, and the expertise of the consultants will help bring forward information on which our elected representatives can base a decision about whether or not now is the right time to move ahead with this project.
I encourage anyone who may have an interest or an opinion in a potential stadium for Halifax Regional Municipality to learn more about the process and come out to four public consultation sessions, the first of which will be held on Oct. 12. The time and location for this public session and those to follow will be posted on Halifax.ca.
Sincerely,
Kim Mason
Chair, Halifax Stadium Analysis Steering Committee
Good council, whether it be in the sense of legal counsel or ‘municipal council’ tends to rely on ‘other similar cases’. In the legal sense, lawyers and judges use precedent and other cases as a basis for ‘case making’ – arguments for and against and decision making. In the case of Halifax’s current Mayor and municipal council, in so many situations that we debate and discuss in the media, our municipal council seems to not be looking at what other cities have done.
Take, for example, the Convention Centre. We need only to look at what other cities on the ocean or waterfront are doing with their convention centres. They put them on the water! Everyone wants a water view. Especially people visiting Halifax. It’s what we are known for. Its our heritage, and our future. Take the example of the Sewage Treatment Facilities. Other cities, particularly ones with the amount of precipitation we have in Halifax, undoubtedly implemented systems to deal with rain water overflow.
Then, we can look at the most recent example of decision making, the Occupy protests. We can look at the ‘case’ and example of other cities. Cities concerned about the global movement that Occupy represents, the endorsement, or, positive recommendation by prominent Canadians such as Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada who was recently named as the first Chairman of the global Financial Stability Board who recognizes the Occupy protests as “entirely constructive” and has been sympathetic to the protests coming to Canada. Or, for example, Paul Martin, former Prime Minister and arguably Canada’s best Finance Minister.
Halifax is a small, frankly tiny, city on a global scale. As always, we can talk about potential and that we need to come together to do things. Its the Maritime and Atlantic Canadian mantra. The thing is, Halifax Council, in particular, and others need to stop thinking that our problems and the situations and challenges we face as a community are unique. The individual who doesn’t recognize that his basic challenges and struggles are shared by other people will continue to suffer and fail to realize his potential. She will be stuck in a fixed approach with blinders on preventing from seeing things as they are and unable to empathize and think clearly about challenges. As a council and community, the same applies. Not recognizing that other communities face the same challenges and, frankly, deferring to approaches taken by larger cities who have more brainpower, more consultants and, frankly, ‘better council’ is the greatest downfall of our current municipal government.
Keeping things simpler and using other ‘cases’, other examples is a comforting and intelligent way to proceed.
Name | November 23, 2011 |
To the HRM Councilors:
My property taxes in 2008 were $3,476
My property taxes in 2011 are $5,943
My taxes have gone up 71 % in 13 years.
My house and property have not changed in the 13 years.
The services and programs I have access to have declined since the 1996 amalgamation.
My income has not changed by more than 3% over the last 5 years.
Taxpayers cannot afford to finance a new stadium so Mayor Kelly can compete with Moncton and put the Concert scandal behind him.
The Trade Centre is subsidized by the City and Province and loses money by the hundreds of thousands annually – bureaucrats cannot run breakeven operations.
Capital Projects handled by City staff often go overbudget (e.g. skating oval, Bi-Hi interchange) – City staff are not competent to control capital projects.
The Stadium will be another white elephant/drain on taxpayers, and without signed commitments for public-private partnering and Federal and Provincial funding it should NOT proceed.
$60.0 m was mentioned in the media as a cost – financing alone at 5% would be a $3.0m annual expense.
The Stadium should not proceed unless it can be guaranteed to operate on a full cost recovery basis.
The Province dropped the ball on their first PPP for schools.
They learned some lessons and the Wentworth toll road seems to be paying its way.
If the City must have mega-projects it should contract expertise from people with PPP experience – e.g. past bureaucrats who know the problems and loop holes, NOT private consultants who are gone once their pockets are lined.
The October 2011 Halifax Magazine (halifaxmag.com) had an interesting article on the subject which indicated to beware of overly optimistic feasibility studies , and there is a low/non-existent chance of getting a professional sport team to occupy the stadium.
Any feasibility study should be accompanied by an audit opinion setting out the range of estimates and assumptions contained in the study.
PS | October 22, 2011 |
I read with interest the Stadium Studies commentary by Bill Black, a man for whom I have tremendous respect.
While I was pleased to see a bright mind like Mr. Black take an interest in the stadium, his comments confirm the need for clarification around several key points, including the current scope of the Council-appointed, citizen-led Stadium Analysis Steering Committee and our progress to date.
First, allow me to be clear about the the mandate of the Steering Committee. Our role in phase one of the analyses was to bring back to Council a recommendation as to whether a case to build the stadium could be made. This analysis, supported by the work of our consultants, was based on comparative analysis, recognized community need and interest, variability in use, and sustainability. Our conclusion and recommendations were presented to Council and debated at length in August. As a result, Council decided to move to phase two of the analysis: site selection, design, cost and financial modelling for a potential stadium. When that work is complete, Council will have another opportunity for debate and discussion before making a decision if a stadium will or will not be built.
Secondly, I would like to clarify a few points around the design of a potential stadium. It is true we are considering a stadium constructed to a minimum requirement to meet the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 tournament, however, it is important to note that we have at all times looked to broad community use of such a facility as well as potential for expansion should the need arise in the future. While major event hosting opportunities have also been considered, it is fair to say they are not the primary factor and that we are working to determine an appropriate size and design for a variety of uses.
For more than 20 years, this community has talked about a stadium in a debate that, while spirited, has not necessarily been well-informed The work of the Steering Committee, the HRM staff team, and the expertise of the consultants will help bring forward information on which our elected representatives can base a decision about whether or not now is the right time to move ahead with this project.
I encourage anyone who may have an interest or an opinion in a potential stadium for Halifax Regional Municipality to learn more about the process and come out to four public consultation sessions, the first of which will be held on Oct. 12. The time and location for this public session and those to follow will be posted on Halifax.ca.
Sincerely,
Kim Mason
Chair, Halifax Stadium Analysis Steering Committee
Kim Mason | October 17, 2011 |
Bill, would you consider adding Kim Mason’s reply to your posting?
Peter
Peter Spurway | October 17, 2011 |