By Patrick Book

Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco believes the proposed stadium deal is dead

Feb 22, 2011 | 8:10 PM

Regina's Mayor is promising not to give up on some kind of new stadium facility, but he's all but given up on the current proposal after a day of back-and-forth between representatives from the provincial and federal governments.

As you learned first Tuesday morning on News Talk Radio in interviews on John Gormley Live, word emerged from Regina Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski that Saskatchewan Party MLA Ken Cheveldayoff had sent a letter to federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

In it, the minister in charge of the stadium file indicated that the province will “abandon” it's proposal to build a $434 million dollar domed stadium in a tract of land just north of Regina's downtown if it doesn't get approval from the federal Public Private Partnership Fund by next Monday.

Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco believes Lukiwski is essentially signalling the death knell of the proposal.

“There's a possibility of a federal election coming up,” he noted in an interview at City Hall Tuesday afternoon.

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“And I think that the federal politicians in this city that are on the government side want to make sure that nothing sticks to them in regard to this not being built. The fact of the matter is we haven't heard anything positive coming out of their mouths in regards to this particular project. And I'm disappointed in that.

“Why would Tom Lukiwski take a letter this morning that was intended for Minister Flaherty that we were all CC'd on, why would he take that to the media? That wasn't his place … That's just playing silly bugger. That's politics, I guess. That's federal politics and party politics and if that's what they want to do that's fine.”

The province has repeatedly said the $434 million dollar project is contingent on some federal funding, which it applied for last June, meeting a deadline set by the federal government. When reached Tuesday morning by phone, Cheveldayoff said he's simply asking the federal government to return the favour by abiding by his deadline. As of March 1 the province's feasibility study into the stadium project will be a year old and, as Cheveldayoff puts it, no longer valid.

Lukiwski told John Gormley that he's seen nothing to indicate Saskatchewan has any significant private funding, which he insists is a requirement for the P3 program. As to why there's no new money being made available from Ottawa, he points to the fact the Harper government is running a deficit.

“If that's what they want then they should put that in writing back to us, saying, 'If you get 'x' amount of dollars from the private sector then the federal government is in,'” Cheveldayoff fired back in an interview at the provincial legislature Tuesday afternoon.

He insists the province would be willing to play ball if that were asked of them, but he stresses that it has not been on the table up to this point. He also notes that the province has made every deadline asked of it and provided all the information it has had throughout the process.

Minister responsible Ken CheveldayoffEchoing statements made by the Premier earlier in the day during an interview in Saskatoon, Cheveldayoff admits that the province may have to look at moving on without the Conservatives.

“The federal government was a full partner in the study but now, as partners, we have to ask ourselves are we in for the next phase or not?”

Fiacco is still bullish on the idea, even if the specific proposal dies in Ottawa.

“We're going to obviously bring the team together again and, obviously, not focus on a new entertainment facility but focus on the re-development of 46 acres of land,” he insisted, pointing to the potential of the lands currently occupied by Mosaic Stadium and the Canadian Pacific Railway container yards (where the new stadium would be built). Like Cheveldayoff, he believes there will be massive interest from the private sector.

“If you're in the private sector you're looking at those lands and realizing that that's prime real estate in a market where there seems to be more demand than supply,” he asserted.

He believes there will still be interest from the province in that re-development as well, which he proposes could bring new residential and commercial construction to those areas in addition to either a new, albeit lower-key, stadium or a refurbished Mosaic Stadium.

Cheveldayoff also contends the province is prepared to go back to the drawing board if denied federal funding, but he won't say if that means reducing the size of the project at the proposed site or returning to the idea of retrofitting the existing Mosaic Stadium.

Photos of Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco at City Hall and Minister Ken Cheveldayoff at the Saskatchewan Legislature on Feb. 22, 2011 taken by Patrick Book/News Talk Radio.

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