REALITY CHECK: One year anniversary of reopening of B.C. Place highlights mismanagement, failure to show plan to pay for renovations

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On the one year anniversary of the opening of the renovated B.C. Place, a number of questions remain around the over budget stadium. The B.C. Liberal government refuses to show how they plan to pay for it and has failed to provide any business case proving that this renovation was the best use of B.C. tax dollars.

While Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger has claimed the B.C. Place renovation was a “wise use of our resources… that is going to more than pay for itself in the not-too-distant future,” a closer look at the growing list of issues plaguing the stadium is needed:

Wildly over budget project. The final cost of the B.C. Place renovations, including the new retractable roof on the stadium, is now stated at $514 million – high above the initial budget of $365 million. Millions more will be added to that tab as necessary water main updates take place. The roof has also been fraught with problems, from leaks to issues opening and closing in certain weather conditions.

Telus naming-rights fiasco. The Liberals walked away from $35 million by cancelling a naming-rights agreement for the stadium with Telus. The justification was a confusing series of excuses from the size of the proposed sign, to the new name not resonating with British Columbians, to the premier saying it was a bad deal for taxpayers.

Casino expansion issues. Part of the initial plan to pay for the B.C. Place renovation was predicated on ramming through a mega casino expansion adjacent to the stadium, which would have generated $6 million a year in lease payments. The expansion was rushed through the RFP process and questions remain around influence by Liberal insiders. However, the project was downgraded and if it proceeds is only expected to generate $3 million a year in lease payments.

Quote:

Spencer Chandra Herbert, New Democrat arts, culture and gaming critic and MLA for Vancouver West-End:

“The Liberals have been desperately trying to distract from their start-to-finish mismanagement of the B.C. Place renovations. It’s time for them to be up front with British Columbians and show us that they have a plan to pay for this massively over budget project. Their claim that the stadium roof will be paid for through 'surplus money' from their wildly over budget convention centre just doesn’t hold water.”