CTVNEWS

Quebec arena project could still get federal cash

The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, September 14, 2010 4:03PM EDT

Minister of Natural Resources Christian Paradis responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill Ottawa on Friday May 28, 2010. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Text:

MONTREAL - Taxpayers will not foot the entire bill for an NHL-style hockey arena in Quebec City.

That's the message from the federal minister responsible for infrastructure spending -- Transport Minister Chuck Strahl.

The federal government has been sending vague and, some have argued, contradictory messages about whether it might provide the $180 million missing for a new rink.

But Strahl is clear.

He says the private sector needs to take the lead on the project -- which has not been the case with the Quebec project.

"It really has to be driven by the private sector and so far that hasn't happened," Strahl told reporters Tuesday.

"The best way forward for any hockey team is (to) get the private sector involved, let them take the lead on it and let them tell you how they're going to make this work.

"Then other levels of government can say, 'If that's what you're going to do, this is how we can contribute."'

So far, all the money for the estimated $400-million project has come from local and provincial taxpayers, and there have been calls for Ottawa to provide the rest.

And if Quebec City wants a new arena to attract the 2022 Winter Olympics? Strahl says you build Olympic facilities after being granted the Games -- not before.

"It's not a case of, 'If you build it, they will come.' It's a case of, 'What is it you're preparing for,"' Strahl said.

"There's a lot of possibility . . . and I encourage people to think big or dream big. . .

"But my experience on the West Coast on the Olympics is when you win it, you've got a 10-year period to do your investments and if that happens, there will be massive investments."

He said every Olympics winds up requiring new facilities, special transportation corridors, and security measures that governments can later help to fund.

Strahl's comments came just hours after one of his cabinet colleagues raised hopes for federal funding.

Christian Paradis -- the political minister responsible for Quebec -- said the door remains open to funding a project that offers benefits for amateur sports, including the Olympics.