Public funds for a baseball stadium | The government “takes people for idiots”, says Anglade

(Quebec) The Legault government “takes people for idiots” by arguing that investing in the baseball stadium project of Stephen Bronfman’s group could be done at zero cost for taxpayers, accuses Liberal leader Dominique Anglade. The opposition parties believe that Quebec is hitting the wrong ball with this project.

Tommy chouinard
Press

For his part, the Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, confirms the discussions underway with the group, “except that at this time, there is nothing to announce”. “It’s premature for us to say anything. And on the other hand, the promoters must present the project to the population and that [celle-ci] look at it and comment, ”he added during a brief scrum.

Press revealed Tuesday the underside of the discussions between the government and the group of Mr. Bronfman, which asks Quebec a financial contribution of up to a few hundred million dollars for its project of 1 billion including in particular a stadium. The group’s goal is to bring a major league baseball team back to the metropolis, securing joint custody of the Tampa Bay Rays.

If Quebec goes ahead with a financial contribution, it is considering part in grants and another part in the form of conditional repayment loans (commonly called “forgivable loans”). According to him, this would be at zero cost for taxpayers: he would grant financial assistance equivalent to the additional tax revenues generated by money coming from outside Quebec (for example, the taxes of the players or the QST of the American tourists who come. attend a match) and part of the economic spinoffs from abroad.

“No third stage in the balance sheet of the province”

For Pierre Fitzgibbon, there is no question that a new stadium will be included in the government’s infrastructure – while the Olympic Stadium and the Videotron Center have been paid for with 100% public funds. The minister thus affirmed that “there will be no third stage in the balance sheet of the province of Quebec. People saw the film and didn’t like that film ”. According to his explanation, the government, if it were to go ahead, would provide funding for the project as a whole, depending on its potential payoff which has yet to be seen.

“I have been in discussion with the promoters for a few months, but the important steps are that they must speak to the population and present their project. It has to be socially acceptable. And after that, there will be other discussions. It is very premature to conclude on that, ”explained the Minister.

The furious opposition

“When I read that we are told that it will be at zero cost for Quebeckers, we take people for idiots when we say that! », Launched Dominique Anglade during a press briefing at the National Assembly. “The reality is that these investments cost taxpayers money” and to think that net cost would be zero, “is really to assume a lot, a lot of things”.

Of course, “we would all be happy to have baseball for Montreal,” she added, “but the reality is that the government should have other priorities.”

Investing public funds “in a half-team of baseball which belongs to millionaires and billionaires, it is absurdity”, accused for his part the co-spokesperson of Quebec solidaire Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. “It shows that François Legault has completely lost the sense of priorities. ”

For him, to speak of “a baseball stadium at zero cost is like a third carbon neutral link, it is to take Quebecers for suitcases”. Promoters of professional sports teams have “an unfortunate tendency to inflate the potential fallout,” and the government is falling into the trap, he added.

The Parti Québécois is also opposed to the idea of ​​”investing public funds in the possible return of a baseball team or, even worse, in the construction of a stadium without knowing that a team would come to play there” , supported its parliamentary leader Joël Arseneau.

When he was reminded of the support of the Parti Québécois for the construction of the Videotron Center with public funds, a project which was to promote the return of a professional hockey team to Quebec, he replied bluntly: “Like what we can learn from our experience. ”

“The government’s speech to the effect that this investment could bring it back in taxes – on salaries, for example, for professional players – does not convince us. It would be quite risky and uncertain to go in that direction, and we do not favor this approach, ”he added. “We have already acted in that film and it is difficult, at the moment, to believe that it will happen more than in the past. ”

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation calls on the government to reject the request of Stephen Bronfman’s group. It is a project which “does not hold water”, underlines its director in Quebec, Renaud Brossard, arguing that there is no substantial proof that subsidies in this kind of adventure lead to economic gains. “Does Legault really hope to find economic spinoffs where Nobel Prize winners in economics see only losses? He asks himself. “The government must give a clear no and save taxpayers millions of dollars by refusing to subsidize a new baseball stadium. ”