Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
While we do use public funds to enhance quality of life, NHL teams differ in a couple important aspects from Heritage Park or the Calgary Philharmonic:
* They're private, profit-generating businesses owned by billionaires.
* The salaries paid to the employees are enormous.
I think you'd have a tough time securing public funding for the Calgary Philharmonic if it was a private, profitable business owned by Mannix family, and the musicians were all paid $2-7 million a year.
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The also differ in a few other fashions.
-They are enjoyed by a much larger portion of the population than the CPO.
- They have a much larger impact on other businesses in the city than the CPO for example. Can't remember the last time I heard from a bar or restaurant owner complain that they were hurting cause the CPO wasn't performing.
Also, the arena serves other purposese other than housing an NHL franchise. The Saddledome has already proven it's self to be antiquated in regards to bringing in world class music acts and other such things, that have nothing to do with NHL hockey. This city needs a new arena if we don't want to continue to miss out these.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the city should be fronting the majority of this bill, just that there is a role for them to play in the rink, as the city needs this new rink IMO, not just for the Flames.