Minister Caroline Proulx dreams of attracting Taylor Swift and the NFL to a renovated Olympic stadium, but she warns that the stadium will have to close within a year or two if nothing is done to replace the roof.
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“Doing roof work is never the sexiest business. But before renovating the kitchen, you must still make a change to your roof,” illustrated the Minister of Tourism on Wednesday in the corridors of parliament.
Archive photo, Stevens LeBlanc
According to her, the replacement of the roof and the technical ring is necessary to attract large-scale events, such as shows by American star Taylor Swift and NFL matches. This work would also make it possible to install new audiovisual equipment.
“Taylor Swift is missing in Quebec, because we are not able to go to stadiums, which artists really like,” she lamented. “Tourist spending associated with the presence of Taylor Swift in Toronto is US$1,600 per spectator. 42,000 spectators over five days, that’s $350 million that Quebec and the metropolis of Quebec are missing out on.
“What if Taylor Swift is still personality of the year, then she tours the world… You bet that I will raise my hand to have Taylor Swift in Montreal!” she then argued.
Archive photo, AFP
The minister added that the removal of the technical ring will make it possible to change the “interior covering” and the “exterior covering” and to improve the sound system, a point for which this room has often been the subject of criticism in the past. , and which discourages artists from coming to perform there.
“It will not have perfect sound, it is not the OSM hall,” however agreed Minister Proulx.
In January, the Olympic Park will submit a business case regarding the work that must be carried out to keep the stadium standing. According to information from The Pressa project worth at least $750 million would be planned, but Minister Proulx did not want to confirm this amount on Wednesday.
Only after examining it will the council of ministers decide whether or not this work can go ahead.
“We are really at the end of the life of the roof,” insisted Caroline Proulx, stressing that the stadium could close its doors permanently in a year or two, if the roof is not replaced.