Manitoba’s NDP government guaranteed another loan for the ongoing repairs to the Investors Group Field football stadium this week. This time the loan, which is guaranteed by the taxpayers of Manitoba, is for $35.3 million. That will bring the total current cost of the two year old stadium to just below $250 million.
Many Manitobans will remember that the original estimated cost of the new stadium was about $100 million. In fact, in April of 2009, then Premier Gary Doer said that the NDP government would only be committing $20 million of provincial taxdollars’ to the stadium and the remainder would come from other levels of government and the private sector.
That $20 million commitment negotiated by Mr. Doer may have seemed like a good deal at the time, especially since almost $19 million was expected to be recovered from revenues generated by the construction of the building. But then, not long after, Greg Selinger took over as Premier of the NDP and things changed.
Soon, there was no private investor in the project and the costs began to rise dramatically. As well, the construction timeline changed almost weekly, eventually being pushed back by an entire year. But most concerning to taxpayers was the cost. What started off as a $20 million commitment for taxpayers’ under Gary Doer ended up as a $209 million commitment and guarantee of taxpayers’ dollars under Greg Selinger.
And the latest development means that figure will continue to grow. Not long after the new stadium was opened, it was clear there were problems. Significant cracking in the cement began to appear. There were reports of water damage in the stadium due to water draining into the building. The press box wasn’t enclosed making winter games difficult and there needed to be additional winter insulation. This has resulted in a series of lawsuits between construction firms and the province amid allegations that the provincial NDP are responsible for the mistakes in the project.
Then, earlier this year it was announced that major reconstruction of the two concourses would be necessary later this year following the football season and that work, and other repairs, has resulted in the new taxpayer backed loan.
The most disappointing thing about the entire stadium project has been that what should have been a great source of pride for all Manitobans has now become mired in lawsuits and seemingly endless taxpayer funded loans to fix problems. And it will likely be years before the true final cost of the stadium is known and then only after the provincial Auditor General is allowed to do a complete review of the entire project.
