Molson sponsorship up for debate again
Posted Dec 5, 2011 06:22:25 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Regional councillors hope to clear up any confusion surrounding the new skating oval and its corporate sponsors this week.
In a close vote, Molson Coors’ bid to sponsor part of the new facility was rejected during a closed-door meeting the last time council met.
The decision to reject an offer of $400,000 without any public debate generated a public backlash that led the mayor to issue a press release last week, calling for fewer in-camera meetings.
Coun. Dawn Sloane (Halifax-Downtown) is expected to table a motion of reconsideration at tomorrow’s meeting, which will clear the way for councillors to once again debate Molson’s offer.
Dr. John Gillis, who has led the Save the Oval campaign, tells News 95.7 council should send a clear message to voters by approving the motion.
“That would be approving a public debate, so that all the issues could be brought out for people to know about, and frankly so that more specific information that has come to light can be discussed,” he said. “We think that taking the sponsorship is right, but we think that a full public debate on all the facts is the right thing to do
The in-camera meeting on Nov. 22 lasted four hours, and most councillors were reportedly concerned about the optics of having a beer company sponsor a public health facility.
Coun. Sue Uteck says the sponsorship offer isn’t actually for the oval itself – it’s for the attached events plaza.
She tells News 95.7 confusion reigned during the closed-door meeting, and says it wasn’t clear to most councillors that they’d voted to reject the $400,000 sponsorship offer.
“Some thought they were voting to send (the offer) back, some thought they were voting not to send it back,” she said. “In fact, the vote was accepting or not accepting the sponsorship.”
Gillis says the persistent confusion about who’s sponsoring what is one of the reasons he wants the debate to happen in public.
“”To hear about how they’re planning to use the signs and to hear, which I think is most important, some real evidence on the health benefits of the oval, the benefits to young people,” he said.
Some councillors and academics have said it’s inappropriate to have a beer company sponsor a public sports facility, but Gillis says that’s a big double standard, noting that beer companies sponsor Natal Day, Canada Day and Halifax’s Q league hockey team.
“Until we’re prepared to turn off television, not go to the metro centre, not have a beer in our own homes, then we’re being very hypocritical by saying that seeing a few signs is going to change people’s behaviour,” he said.
Taxpayers on the streets mostly agreed with Gillis.
“They’ve been doing it for years and years, why suddenly now is it such a terrible thing?” said Heather. “To me, it really doesn’t matter as long as they get the funding for it.”
“There’s so many more big problems out there, that’s just…who cares,” said Mike.
But Ian says that if taxpayers want to use the oval, taxpayers should be prepared to foot the bill.
“Society should be able to pay for their own skating oval,” he said. “Why do we invite business in for everything we do?”
Gillis’ Save the Oval group is encouraging voters to contact their councillor ahead of tomorrow’s meeting to express their thoughts.
