Two city Councillors have revealed what public reaction has been like for them, since council narrowly voted to advance building the $40-million-plus multi-use indoor turf facility.
We spoke to McIntyre Ward’s Councillor Albert Aiello, who voted not to wait any further, and At-large Councillor Mark Bentz, who hasn’t wavered in wanting it delayed.
Mark Bentz says, right off the top, the number one question people ask him is “Why did you do it?”, a questions he agrees with. “It makes me very uncomfortable that we saved a few million dollars by closing Dease pool, yet we’re spending $42-million on a facility that is not going to be accessible to all, there will be a cost, of course, to use it.”
He adds the vast majority of people have thanked him for his vote, with maybe one letter indicating disappointment.
The cost is the big issue for many, and Bentz says many wonder about the $20 a year per household reference to pay for it, which he says is not the best way to describe covering the overall bill. “That $20 is just for the $15-million debenture, and $8-million interest, so that $20 a year for a median household, that’s a 25 year loan.”
The At-large councillor acknowledges the many supporting the project now, of which few have approached him since they know his position, who say there is always controversy surrounding any new infrastructure work.
“That is true, but I don’t think that’s the controversy here. I think the controversy here is that we’re doing it during a pandemic, when there’s so many uncertainties,” says Bentz.
Listen here for our full newsroom interview with Mark Bentz.
We switch now to McIntyre’s Councillor, where we find not too much heat on Albert Aiello for voting to build it now.
He does point out, however, with accusations still flying around it is only for the elite, he says soccer is the cheapest and most popular sport in the world, needing only a ball and shoes.
“The Chill program… kids play soccer all summer, it costs $50. You get a shirt, you get shorts, you get socks, and you get to play all year. In comparison to hockey, we are a hockey town, you can’t buy a hockey stick for $50,” says the Councillor, who adds he does not understand where the “elite” idea comes from.
As far as the cost to built it, Aiello says the odd person has complained to him about the $40-odd million price tag. To that, he says the real issue for any sports facility in Thunder Bay is not the cost, but transportation.
“But how are you going to get to the ten rinks in Thunder Bay? To play soccer, or indoor baseball, or cricket, or [Ultimate] Frisbee, it’s not about subsidizing the cost, it’s about making the facility accessible,” says Aiello.
Just a few people have expressed concern COVID-19 will hurt the city financially, but he says the pandemic is not an excuse due to provincial funding. “We got $9.4-million, and our projected deficit for this year is going to be $7.7-million. So we have $1.7-million remaining that we’re going to put towards help off-set costs for 2021.”
Aiello says some people have told him it will push taxes up.
Listen here for our full newsroom interview with Albert Aiello.
