Quote:
Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis
But I think what you'll find is people like me and Flash who are against this are partially against it because we know there are big ticket increases coming. For taxpayers to contribute to this, one of the big criteria for me is the benefit to the average fan. And the average fan almost always loses by having less access through higher ticket prices. The average fan becomes more of the TV fan, while the wealthy fan is just fine. So it's a handout to benefit wealthy owners, while cutting out average fan, so that the wealthy fan can wait 10 fewer minutes in line for $11 beers and the bathrooms. If the Flames wanna finance that 100% by themselves, awesome. But public money should not result in a facility that fewer people can afford, and that's always what happens with these situations.
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Sorry Clay, don't agree.
Flames are entitled to charge whatever they want for tickets and concession, if the market will tolerate 11 dollar beers therer will be 11 dollar beers at the dome.
I just want this same standard applied in reverse. The Flames obviously feel that they need a new building to increase revenue, and as such, they should raise their own revenue for their own private business. They can collect cans to raise funds for all I care, but the Flames are not a library or a park or a bridge, they're a privately owned entertainment company.
If they don't think they'll make their money back on a 800 million dollar stadium complex then they should scale down their desires, not go looking for a handout from the city.
If the Flames want to cut the city of Calgary in for an equity stake in the team, by all means, have the city put some money up, you know, like a regular business transaction.
Having the city give hundreds of millions of dollars to the flames in order to save season ticket holders a couple thousand dollars is probably the worst case scenario. I'd rather the city just gave a couple grand to the season ticket holders directly.