In light of the recent news that the government of Saskatchewan has reached a conditional agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway to buy land in Regina where a new indoor football stadium/multi-purpose entertainment facility will likely be built, it looks as if the province is one step closer to the all but inevitable construction of the facility. So, here we go again, I thought I'd beat the dead horse one more time and give my two cents as to why it's a bad idea.1.) We already have a - as far as I can tell - fully functional football stadium; the home field of the CFL's most popular franchise. Even during the coldest parts of the football season, the 'Riders have no problem selling out games.There's obviously the argument that, if the Green and White happen to revert back to their old losing ways - the '90s, for example - ticket sales would be much harder to come by, especially in less-than-optimal weather conditions.But, not even a domed stadium can remedy a struggling football team, or dwindling ticket sales. Just look at Toronto: in a city with well over two-and-a-half million residents and a domed stadium with retractable roof, the Argonauts still can only muster up about 22,000 fans at each game.If the stadium needs a little fixing up, fix it up - it won't cost half-a-billion dollars, at any rate.2.) One of the main selling points for the new indoor stadium idea is that it's going to bring more bigger, better entertainment acts (similar to the shows Mosaic Stadium has already hosted, like the Rolling Stones or AC/DC or Bon Jovi). Recently, Mosaic's been the site of about one of these big shows a year.According to the proposed stadium's feasibility study though, the new entertainment centre would still only play host to one large musical event a year, several smaller concerts, plus could be used for various sporting events, such as motocross and as a conference centre. Granted, this would be a slight increase in the number of entertainment acts coming to Saskatchewan, it's still hardly worth it. TCU Place in Saskatoon is a first-rate concert facility, slightly smaller, but rivaling that of hockey stadiums in much larger centres like Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg.Let's not forget that Saskatchewan is a province with a total population of just over one million people; the reason more musical acts don't roll through the province is not due to the fact that we don't have the facilities to hold them - we just don't quite have the population-base to attract the world's hottest stars.Some of the best concerts I've ever been to in Saskatchewan drew dismal crowds.3.) We don't need any more washed up '60s, '70s and '80s musical acts, let alone aforementioned musical acts that charge an arm and a leg for a ticket.4.) It's going to cost a ton of money; $431 million is the estimated cost of the domed stadium alone. Now, what about the money it will take to clean up the toxic grounds at the old CPR rail yard, or to pave the parking lot, even?If the municipal, provincial and federal governments are going to foot part of the bill to put yet another stadium in North Central Regina, why don't they put that half-billion dollar cheque to better use?Correct me if I'm wrong, but last I checked, North Central (once called "Canada's worst neighbourhood") doesn't even have a grocery store. I could name about five or six convenience stores/fast-food restaurants in the neighbourhood just off the top of my head, but if I were driving through the area around Taylor Field, I wouldn't even know where I could stop to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables.North Central has been neglected for far too long by those in power. In a neighbourhood that already has higher than acceptable rates of diabetes - due almost exclusively to the availability of cheap, fatty and processed foods and the unavailability of healthy options - why not spend a little bit of money to put healthy eating initiatives into place, or at the very least, make fresh food available?Keep in mind, this is only one of the many ways the $431 million could be better spent in that neighbourhood alone, let alone all over Saskatchewan!I could go on, but I'll stop here - I've got to take some time to figure out how I'm going to boycott the team if they end up moving into a new stadium after all.
