tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538424.post4187873382470452335..comments2024-02-29T23:31:03.341-05:00Comments on Out Of Left Field: The Pan-Ams: What T.O. thinks of the bidsagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757652892056684490noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538424.post-28224544289370476252008-10-09T13:26:00.000-04:002008-10-09T13:26:00.000-04:00Governments don't support sports improvements with...Governments don't support sports improvements without major events for the same reason they don't support other infrastructure projects like roads. Politicians would rather pander and cut taxes and hope that road never deteriorates. It finally catches up to us and we have a situation today where the infrastructure deficit in Ontario and across much of Canada is out of this world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538424.post-7916824840074655412008-10-09T12:41:00.000-04:002008-10-09T12:41:00.000-04:00Hey Duane,Once again, great post.I worked as a vol...Hey Duane,<BR/><BR/>Once again, great post.<BR/><BR/>I worked as a volunteer for the 1996 and 2008 Toronto Summer Games bids, and I can tell you exactly what's wrong with Toronto/Ontario's approach to sports.<BR/><BR/>The biggest issue, I think, is that Toronto is still very much stuck in a very Protestant-Calvinist mindset when it comes to the city's priorities - Toronto's unofficial motto could be "work, work and work some more" and it would be the same in 2008 as it was in 1908. There's a good reason Montreal folks hate Toronto - they're right, Toronto is a no-fun place with no joie de vive.<BR/><BR/>Everything must have a practical, utilitarian purpose in Toronto civic life. That's the unwritten rule. If it doesn't serve the public interest beyond an irrational entity like sport, it's not happening. Ever. Case in point: Skydome. That place only ever got built because it was a "multi-purpose" facility. <BR/><BR/>From a political perspective, it makes a lot of sense why politicians never, ever talk seriously about sports facilities beyond mega-events like the Olympics or Pan Am. It's a political non-starter on every side of the spectrum here in Toronto. The Left goes bat-shit over the prospect of public funds going into sports facilities that serves corporate interests instead of, say, the TTC, and the Right cannot and will not endorse a position that involves any tax revenues going to something that requires millions of dollars of investments unless there are assurances of private investment also (which effectively makes the public ownership issue null and void). And a lot of corporations won't invest money into something that has no governmental guarantees to cover cost overruns. It's passing the buck in the worst way. <BR/><BR/>I would be very, very surprised if Toronto gets the Pan Am Games, to be honest. The only way it will work is if the McGunity Liberals can work it into the Conservatives' infrastructure plans to "rebuild" Canada's decaying public facilities, roads, et al (assuming the Conservatives win the next election). <BR/><BR/>It also must placate the downtown social activist crowds who will resist it every step of the way unless the facilities are earmarked for public use after the Games. Period. Even then, it's hardly a sure thing. <BR/><BR/>At the end of the day, Toronto may have a problem with too much democracy - everyone wants a say, nothing ever gets done because too much dithering and debate happens, and every single political concern must be addressed beforehand. It creates a culture of political inertia that limits what can be done in Toronto. And it's not just sports that are affected by this: the Toronto Waterfront re-development project suffers from the same problem. Everyone in Toronto wants a say, nobody wants to take responsibility for getting on with it. <BR/><BR/>In that vein, also makes sense why non-democratic Beijing was given the Olympics.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04285745872512206367noreply@blogger.com