GTA Venue Plan and Case for New $1 Billion Portland Stadium
International Exposure and Local Benefits
The Pan American Games are 1/3 the size of the Olympics and will probably cost 1/3 of hosting them. Hosting the Pan Am Games still has great potential to bring considerable media exposure, visitors and lasting infrastructure benefits to the city-region. The 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio, Brazil got excellent international media exposure, cleaned up the city’s image and as a result they are now bidding for the 2016 Olympic Games.
2015 Golden Horseshoe Venue Plan
Internally this is being billed as the “Golden Horseshoe” Games to boost support from across the city-region and avoid the feeling of being a Toronto centred bid. Internationally it will be known as Toronto’s Pan American Bid.
Neither Hamilton, Mississauga or Toronto could host the Games by themselves as new and existing venues are spread out across the GTA and Hamilton. It would be very expensive and stupid to replicate and duplicate existing sport venues in one concentrated area for just one event.
The 2008 Olympic Bid Plan had the same “Golden Horseshoe” concept. The 905 got all the training venues and preliminary games, while the 416 hosted all the medal events in many new venues that would have been built on the waterfront. A lot of new and upgraded venues have been built since that 2008 Bid, so Toronto wouldn't have to build so many new venues for 2015.
Following the 2008 Olympic Bid Plan and the Rio 2007 Sports Program, a 2015 Pan Am Games venue plan would best utilize existing sites across the GTA – Hamilton area.
Toronto Venues
Air Canada Centre – Basketball
Ashbridges Bay – Beach Volleyball
*BMO Field – Soccer, Modern Pentathlon
Convention Centre – Fencing, Judo
Direct Energy Centre – Badminton, Taekwondo, Table Tennis
Molson Amphitheatre – Weightlifting
Ontario Place – Triathlon
*Rexall Centre – Tennis
*Rioch Coliseum – Gymnastics
*Rogers Centre – Baseball, Softball (Opening and Closing Ceremony)
Toronto Harbour – Sailing
*Varsity Field – Soccer, Athletics
*Western Beaches Race Course – Canoe, Rowing
York University – Soccer
*New or Upgraded since 2008 Bid
New Venues To Be Built
Upgraded Varsity Stadium - Athletics only $60 - $70 million(see below)
Portland Waterfront Stadium – Athletics, Soccer, Opening and Closing Ceremony $1 Billion (see below)
Velodrome – Cycling, Wrestling $40 - $50 million
GTA – Hamilton Venues
Hershey Centre (Mississauga) – Volleyball, Field Hockey, Archery
Powerade Centre (Brampton) – Handball
Equestrian Centre (Caledon) – Equestrian
Ivor Wynne Stadium (Hamilton) – Soccer
Copps Coliseum (Hamilton) – Boxing
Hamilton Road Race Course (Hamilton) - Cycling
Twelve Mile Creek (St. Catherines) – Canoe
Skeet and Gun Club (Oshawa) - Shooting
New Venues To Be Built
Aquatics Centre – Swimming $100 million
(Joint facility currently planned by Mississauga – Milton- Oakville or in Markham)
Upgraded Varsity or New Portlands Stadium?
The Games capital budget will depend largely on what Toronto plans to do for an athletics stadium. A decentralized and fairly modest spending plan would be to host the Opening and Closing Ceremony at the Rogers Centre and temporarily upgrade varsity stadium to a 20,000 – 25,000 seat stadium to host athletics only.
It would have to be a temporary stadium because I know when Varsity was planning to be the site of the new soccer stadium, there was loud opposition to permanently closing down Devnonshire Place Road in order to install a western grandstand to the stadium. My best estimate is that temporary conversion could cost between $60 - $70 million tops.
The more costly and ambitious plan would be to build a new combined - permanent Athletic and Football Stadium in the Portlands. It would host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Athletics and Soccer events and have at least triple the seating capacity of the Varsity stadium upgrade plan. It would have to be at least a 65,000 – 75,000 seat stadium and ideally with a retractable roof (winter play) to be suitable for a future Toronto NFL Team. It would probably be a $1 billion development if we are going to go all out with inspiring architecture.
I would only support this plan if it was a joint Public-Private partnership at an equal 50% stake each. There would also have to be a long term strategic plan for Toronto to bid and host other large international sporting events like the Superbowl, World Championships in Athletics (2017 or 2019), the Olympics (2020 or 2024) and FIFA World Cup (Joint host with the USA).
Business Case for a New Portland Stadium
While some may bulk at spending taxpayer dollars on a new stadium, I have to ask; can you imagine Toronto without the Skydome? The stadium has provided ongoing economic investment to the entire city-region.
What will happen to the Argos if the NFL comes? It has already been suggested to the CFL that the season schedule could start and end earlier to avoid competing directly and overlapping with the NFL.
Can Toronto support two stadiums? In my opinion it can, especially if the new stadium has a major tenant like an NFL Team and with a permament track in place host other international events! Even smaller cities like Melbourne have giant stadiums down the street from each other (Cricket Grounds and Telstra Dome).
I honestly believe that a $500 million in public funding for a new stadium would be worthwhile investment, being a new landmark anchor on the waterfront that will also support the planned new LRT lines, attract significant new development in the Portlands, bring worldwide media exposure to the city, create and support hundreds of thousands of jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector, and millions in annual revenue for every level of government from sale taxes.
Louroz
