Canada Winter Games And FCM At Nearly The Same Time? Stupid, Stupid, Stupid
Friday, February 8, 2013 @ 3:45 AM
What is this new pie in the sky idea that Councillor Cameron Stolz is now floating around that would see the Federation of Canadian Municipalities hold its "community sustainability conference" in Prince George one week before the athletes start arriving for the Canada Winter Games?
Think about this for a moment Councillor, you propose hosting the FCM event from February 4th to 6th, less than one week before the athletes are scheduled to arrive. I say "scheduled" because many who want to see what the facilities are like that they will be using, will be on hand earlier.
Have you given any thought to the notion that the Civic Center and other venues that you wish to use, will be in the process of setting up for the games? But let’s not let that get in the way of trying to make an impression on the Councillors and Mayors from other parts of Canada. Let’s not consider for a moment that we will have 6,000 volunteers setting up or getting ready to assist the athletes and their families around the city.
Let’s not even entertain the notion that perhaps the Games will be the full focus of thousands of people who will be checking and double checking everything from vendor supplies to venue readiness, security to transportation, media and broadcast systems, emergency and back up plans.
This is hardly the time to add extra pressure.
In 2011, the cost for the same conference in Victoria was $79,000 dollars. The city of Victoria ended up having to cover $37,000 of the conference bill. Councillor Stolz seems to think that he can raise the money locally, or at least a goodly portion of it, to pay the cost.
We don’t know what the price tag will be as Councillor Stolz quoted the 2011 event, and didn’t provide the price tag for the most recent one, which was held in Ottawa last year, or the projected costs of the one being held this year in Windsor-Essex. It is a little difficult to put a price tag on an event that is still 2 years away, and you are basing costs on one that was held 4 years prior.
Here is a novel approach, raise some money to pay the ever increasing tax load.
But Councillor Stolz is confident he can raise enough money from the private sector to cover the costs of the FCM conference. He will, in fact, be out knocking on the same corporate doors the Canada Winter Games people will be, or have been, visiting.
So, where should the private sector put its donations? To an event that will see Councillors and Mayors from all over the country having a three day conference, or to the two week event that will celebrate youth and every community in the country and give them national coverage? Don’t forget, if the Winter Games folks fail to raise the dollars they need, the City (ie we taxpayers) is on the hook for the shortfall.
So should City Council REALLY be out there competing for donations?
If the intent is to have the councillors and Mayor’s attend the function and then stay a spell for the games, let it happen on their own dime and let it happen with them trying to secure accommodations in what will be a tight market.
If Stolz is trying to score some brownie points with the FCM, try another method such as saying "in the interests of ‘Community Sustainability’ we can’t afford the time or the money to host this conference at this time."
I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.
Comments
Ben you said it well in the title of your article. I think the skier’s goggles on the east side of the Canada Games House needs to be changed to a rose colour and the loose cannon on the gunship tied down before the hull gets blown out and we all sink. Have a good day..
“the cost for the same conference in Victoria was $79,000 dollars. The city of Victoria ended up having to cover $37,000 of the conference bill”
So the City of Victoria was not able to raise the difference from private donations? But we will be able to do so?
Provisionally, Federal Election time is in October 2015. Another opportunity for private donations.
Looks like PG Tourism thinks it will pick up more money. Put that money towards the cost of the conference ….. DUH…
Tax, donate, tax, donate ….. all very taxing. ;-)
Summed it up very nicely Ben.
All from the man who wanted to spend 10 million dollars of tax payer money on a dike. Remember what he said about the AAP, one vote short and the dike gets built.
And this guy is in charge of the finance committee. Very sad indeed.
Can’t comprehend the way some of these politicians even think or are they just daydreaming out loud?
Councillor Frizzell is on the selection committee for selecting a City for this conference.
Didnt anyone think that it was rather strange that we had not made an application for this conference, and then all of a sudden we needed to get it in right away to meet the deadline.
Are we to beleive our late entry was an oversight??? More likely Frizzell has reason to beleive that because of the Winter Games, Prince George had a good chance of being selected, however because he was on the selection committee he couldnt make a proposal without being in a conflict of interest.
Sooooo. Out comes Stoltz with the suggestion we apply to host the conference.
Attendents at the conference who wished to do so, could stay for the games, and still have their travel expenses paid, and maybe even other expenses if they went to the games as representatives of the Citys they work for.
Sooooooo. From where I am sitting I see this whole scenario as a set up, to accomodate these Municipality representatives getting to the Winter Games on tax dollars.
Lets see how it rolls out.
Wow, this is just about one of most stupid things I have heard from our whacked-out city council recently. Another example of how our city council has no feet on the ground, are unaware of the city’s real problems, and always willing to run off half-cocked to find another expensive project to waste taxpayers’ money on!
These projects are about grandstanding, photo ops and looking like they are doing something useful, when the reality is they are expensive exercises in self-promotion with no long-term effects other than lingering costs to be paid by taxpayers.
Damn they are good at putting us deeper in debt. They have no clue at all. Sure are earning that raise.
Well said Ben, agree 100% Just shook my head when this was discussed. Mr. Stolz had best get his resume all brushed up.
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A good narrative Ben. More confirmation of another segment of our incompetent City Council. Why can’t we attract intelligent people to our local government?
Good article Ben….too bad you have to point these things out to a City Council that is getting paid to supposedly run this City efficiently. Seems like a real conflict to me….how shortsighted of Stoltz to even think of this — is this the kind of reasoning we have at the head of the Finance Committee? No wonder Brian Skakun was looking for answers on invoices (only to have Stoltz go on about why he shouldn’t get it. Where is the wisdom in all of this??
It appears all the City is interested in doing to setting up photo ops while running us further in debt. When is this craziness going to stop….we can’t afford it!
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