My Latest Letter to the Edmonton Journal Pertaining to the Proposal of Building a New Downtown Hockey Arena for the Oilers Using Public Funds


I love indoor Rock Climbing. I would love to open a new facility in north-east Edmonton, but I simply can not afford to do so. It's a shame as there is a large climbing community in Edmonton that would benefit from a new facility. If I offered to run the operation, would taxpayers and the government be willing to fund my endeavor? Methinks no.

Enter this whole downtown arena issue. A sports franchise that pays it's members millions, is owned by a billionaire and is only accessible live to the affluent members of society, wants tax payer support to build a new, bigger facility that will earn them greater profits and, as a plausible residual affect, re-vitalize downtown. Why would we, the public, even consider entertaining such an obtuse request, given the greater needs of this fair city?

The Oilers are an important organisation for many Edmontonians, but that passion is based on our national identity of being hockey loving people. You either love your team and the game or you don't. If Katz wants an arena, let him pay for it and recoup the costs from those who support the franchise and businesses that wish to sponsor it. I am incredibly frustrated with tax dollars going to bail out things like hockey clubs, Indy Car racing, etc. When my friend's video store could no longer sustain itself a couple of years ago because of the declining rental industry, he had to take the hit with no taxpayer's assistance. It's time we truly make the distinction of private funding for private industry and public funding for public industry. If the Oilers were accessible to the public like Art galleries, libraries, bike paths, roads, parks and swimming pools, or provided emergency services like EPS, EMS and the Fire Department, this may not be such an issue (though few employees in any of these industries make millions each year). As it stands, the Oilers simply strike me as greedy, spoiled children with little sense of life's priorities.