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What Regina stadium funding could buy

Author: Lee Harding 2010/04/06

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A report commissioned for the Saskatchewan government suggests that a $431.2 million retractable domed stadium for Regina could make a modest profit each year. It would take four centuries before the building cost was made up for, but that's a different matter. Nor does this figure include extras such as columnist Murray Mandryk listed: underground parking, rails for a pedestrian walkway, additional consultant design work, cost overruns, etc. Nevertheless, the Leader-Post has compiled an incredible and insightful list of what $431 million could finance instead of a stadium (each item being independent):

  • No Tax Dollars for Regina Stadium37 days worth of province-wide health care
  • 3,400 kilometres of highway resurfacing
  • 1.1 years worth of agriculture ministry budget (most of which goes to stabilize farm incomes)
  • 3.8 years worth of operating jails
  • 72 days worth of education spending
  • 2.4 years worth of environment ministry operations
  • One year's worth of debt servicing
  • 2.2 years worth of welfare
  • 30 years worth of provincial tourism spending
  • 21 years worth of spending on parks
  • 14 years worth of support for arts and culture
  • 2.3 years worth of running a government (public pensions aside)
  • "One year's worth of debt servicing, based on combining the $413 million cost of debt servicing with the $22-million cost of Crown corporation debt servicing, both as described in the new budget. The overall public debt will grow this year to equal what would be needed to build more than 19 stadiums."

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