There's no doubt about it, it would be great to sit in a brand new stadium to watch Bomber Games. David Asper should be commended for trying to make that happen. His interest in the football club and his desire to continue to invest in Manitoba is exactly what this province needs.

As his proposals have required significant sums of tax dollars, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has pushed for an open process that would ensure taxpayers have an opportunity to provide input into any stadium project which requires public funds. After all, it's our money.

Consider what the City of Winnipeg did last April for the Disraeli Freeway project. A mailer was sent around to thousands of homes to inform citizens of upcoming public forums to discuss the matter. Inside the mailer, citizens were informed of three possible freeway upgrade options and there was even a section for the public to write down their thoughts and mail it in to the city. Talk about democracy.

The question is, why haven't we seen something like that for the stadium "debate"? Or a referendum on the matter. University of Toronto students were given the opportunity to voice their opinion through a referendum on creating a student levy to pay for the redevelopment of a sports facility back in 2002.

Closer to home, the City of Brandon recently held a referendum to determine whether residents wanted a casino in their city. Steinbach held a referendum in 2007 on whether the town wanted to remain alcohol free or not. Certainly Winnipeg could follow their lead and give taxpayers an opportunity to voice their opinions. At the very least, couldn't a public forum be held by at least one level of government?

While our elected officials claim that the debate has gone on "too long", they have yet to even start a debate with the public. This should not simply be a matter of making something go away, we're paying them to make the right choice in our interests.

Unlike the Disraeli Freeway, the mayor and premier are only considering one proposal. That's why the CTF released an alternative proposal earlier this week.

No, it wasn't flashy and no, it wasn't perfect. That wasn't the point. Our goal was to try and spark a public debate and to provide an alternative option for the public to consider. Doing so would hopefully produce even better ideas.

Is the current stadium great? Of course not. However, a city report noted that there is still life in the facility and as we proposed, extending the life of the stadium could be done without tax dollars. It should also be noted, that although it's not a glitzy facility and as "bad" as the washrooms are, fans like it enough to come out and cheer on the Bombers. This is demonstrated by the fact that the Bombers have averaged over 27,000 fans per game this year. Not to mention a sell-out crowd for the preseason game.

If a referendum were held on using tax dollars for a new stadium and if the public endorsed that motion by a large margin, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation would move on to other issues. However, that hasn't happened, so we will continue to suggest alternatives and push for the best possible deal for taxpayers. Our elected officials should be doing the same.