OT: Daryl Katz spends $120 Million on new LA pad

[McFlash97]

Oilers will be fine, We just wont be getting anywhere near 103 from last year.

 

[McJadeddog]

Won 3 of 4
or
4 0f 6

Yet it's like doomsday

I'm as "doomsday" as anybody, but yes, the team has been a little better lately.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

9 months of the year when its freezing cold in Edmonton

Since when did Edmonton's deep freeze encompass September until May?

I mean, if an ice age upon Edmonton since I left, we should get on polluting this planet even more and cheer for global warming.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Since when did Edmonton's deep freeze encompass September until May?

I mean, if an ice age upon Edmonton since I left, we should get on polluting this planet even more and cheer for global warming.

Its currently 3 degrees in Edmonton and supposed to be like this all week.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Its currently 3 degrees in Edmonton and supposed to be like this all week.

Haven't Edmonton winters been pretty mild the past two or three years? Or at least that's what my friends and family still living in the city have told me.

The idea that some seem to have of Edmonton being in a perpetual deep freeze for more than half of the year is ridiculously ignorant.

 

[MoneyGuy]

Yeah, gotta hand it to him. Very astute and smart business man. Props to him. Nobody put a gun to the citys head.

Long live Katz!

Depending on your point of view it could be argued that Katz did put a metaphorical gun to the city's head.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Depending on your point of view it could be argued that Katz did put a metaphorical gun to the city's head.

Because the majority of residents would’ve been content to stay a back water town with no vision..I hear very little crying now
I applaud him for wanting this city to become for than just a northern outpost

 

[PBandJ]

Funniest part is business are still shutting down because they aren't getting the influx of business Katz promised.

Lying sack of crap.

 

[samiam]

Funniest part is business are still shutting down because they aren't getting the influx of business Katz promised.

Lying sack of crap.

Wouldn't getting the full "influx" of business entail at least waiting until the entire project is complete?
The ice district is still over 2 years away from being 100% complete!
I think it's only fair to reserve judgement until then, don't you?

 

[harpoon]

Need more covered walkways/pedways around the downtown. Walking around the area last month on a brutally cold morning and wondering why there aren't more ways to stay inside as you walk around. Its not that hard to accomplish with a little foresight.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

Funniest part is business are still shutting down because they aren't getting the influx of business Katz promised.

Lying sack of crap.

I live downtown and its never been busier.

Methinks any closings have more to do with Amazon and its ilk than anything to do with Katz.

Retail ghost cities are in our future. Generation of destroyers indeed.

 

[Yablo21]

20 dollar parking till 10 pm, doesn't really help businesses downtown, especially on non-game nights, absolutely stupid on the City's part.

 

[Yablo21]

Also Katz saved a bunch of money up getting shot down by actresses he tried to pay to have sex with, lol.

 

[rboomercat90]

20 dollar parking till 10 pm, doesn't really help businesses downtown, especially on non-game nights, absolutely stupid on the City's part.

The price of parking downtown has always been one of the biggest factors of the place being a ghost town.

 

[9GWG9]

To quote Dirk Diggler Jealousy will get you nowhere

 

[MoneyGuy]

Because the majority of residents would’ve been content to stay a back water town with no vision..I hear very little crying now
I applaud him for wanting this city to become for than just a northern outpost

You appear to be missing the point. That's not what "the majority of residents," to use your words, were saying. They complained that Katz bent the city over. I know Oilers fans who wanted a downtown arena but didn't support the taxpayer-supported cost.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Because the majority of residents would’ve been content to stay a back water town with no vision..I hear very little crying now
I applaud him for wanting this city to become for than just a northern outpost

Its the people that think this was a "backwater town with no vision" and think that an Entertainment district changes what Edmonton and district have to offer in lifestyle, employment, standard of living that don't comprehend what this place is.

A city is not defined by an Arena district nor should it be. On the Converse when I hear people saying things like the Nationwide district is the most vibrant part of Columbus it hardly makes me want to ever visit there. Arena and entertainment districts in anycase are often devoid of authenticity or anything unique about them. They are made, contrived locales with no sense of history or connection with anything. Usually plumped into the middle of sore DT spots like a bandaid.

Calgary is opposing the latest big Arena shenanigans and threats and damned good on em. About the only think I like that is connected to the Flames is the City telling them to stick it where the sun don't shine. If we had a real mayor like Nenshi we would've had a hell of a lot better deal here as well. Should anybody think any less of Calgary or its City council because they have the balls and originality not to crater like so many municipalities before them have?

Frankly I'm sick of hearing that complicity to build Arena/Stadia for Billionaire moguls is "vision". I dare say people that cite that as vision don't have any.

 

[Drivesaitl]

You appear to be missing the point. That's not what "the majority of residents," to use your words, were saying. They complained that Katz bent the city over. I know Oilers fans who wanted a downtown arena but didn't support the taxpayer-supported cost.

Yep. The majority of Edmontonians did not support a taxpayer funded arena according to polling. Interestingly as well a poll after the opening of the Arena indicated that only 28% of respondents intended to visit the Arena in its first year of operation.

The notion that a funded arena was a majority want is so misguided.

 

[T-Funk]

Yep. The majority of Edmontonians did not support a taxpayer funded arena according to polling. Interestingly as well a poll after the opening of the Arena indicated that only 28% of respondents intended to visit the Arena in its first year of operation.

The notion that a funded arena was a majority want is so misguided.

Just curious, as I can't remember now, but were these polls giving the option of spending on other projects? Because there's a major problem in Edmonton where if the selection is anything other than spend all the money on potholes or spend zero dollars, then the answer is always no.

 

[SK13]

Just curious, as I can't remember now, but were these polls giving the option of spending on other projects? Because there's a major problem in Edmonton where if the selection is anything other than spend all the money on potholes or spend zero dollars, then the answer is always no.

The entire mindset you're describing is the reason Edmonton fell into such disrepair in the first place. It's why we're spending so much now to build LRTs when it should have been done for a fraction of the cost - even accounting for inflation, 20+ years ago. It's why Edmonton was allowed to sprawl into a bunch of suburban neighborhoods built around shopping malls while companies like Shaw fled Edmonton for Calgary decades ago.

Some ignorant people were only interested in rabble rousing about how their tax dollars "shouldn't be going to help a billionaire dammit!" than understanding the deal or how it could be beneficial to Edmonton. They didn't realize that their tax dollars weren't quite going to fund it at all, not like they went to fund the RAM or the ugly ass Art Gallery, and that the money was coming from a loan on a provincial fund that pays itself back in it's first 15 years. They don't quite understand that this deal was a lot different than most other publicly funded deals because the Arena came with partnership that would redevelop that entire district around it.

They only care that a (homegrown) billionaire will make money off it.

 

[I am the Liquor]

That's right. That is pure-play capitalism. Can you point to an economy that is based on it? I can't.



Maybe some of the "pro-business" types you feel you are "explaining things" to are actually living in the here-and-now, rather than this idealistic text-book you are quoting from?



I think you'll have to re-read my post. When you do, please note I didn't say it was CAPITALISM. I said it was BUSINESS. One is an ideology and the other is an assessment of the state of affairs.

Like it or lump it, right now governments all over the world are clamoring for business. I know, because in my job I field calls from City of X, or State of Y, or Country of Z's economic development office asking whether I would relocate my company to their jurisdiction... to their tax-base... to increase the jobs in their region. Can I get them a meeting with my CEO.

I dodge these calls and don't bother returning them... it's a waste of their time and mine mostly. There are numerous reasons why my business is where it is and most business aren't looking to up and move. Nevertheless, these economic development offices exist for a reason... and it isn't to line MY pocket. What do YOU think their objective is?

As Amazon and other examples illustrate, sometimes there is a deal to be done. I give kudos to the analysts in Edmonton's economic development office, who obviously had a fish and landed it... in a deal that, from the outside... I don't live in Edmonton either... looks like it can be a win-win.

That's business. You see socialists have their motivations too. Two can play, etc.

You can argue what the true motives of the City of Edmonton were... and one always should look at motivations... I can only give you my experience, but the typical economic development office bureaucrat is not out to line my pockets or to directly screw you. They want to maximize jobs and tax-base and that's what gets them cache with their boss, a raise, a year-end bonus and maybe someday a corner office, a shot a public office or what have you.

This is quite the load of blarney. Katz extorted the community with the threat of moving their precious Oilers. The mayor, council etc weren't going to wear that round their necks, so they bent over. Its an old but effective tactic, although many communities are catching on and have chose not to subsidize billionaire owners. Funnily enough there are some people who feel there are more important things in life than money.

 

[VainGretzky]

This is quite the load of blarney. Katz extorted the community with the threat of moving their precious Oilers. The mayor, council etc weren't going to wear that round their necks, so they bent over. Its an old but effective tactic, although many communities are catching on and have chose not to subsidize billionaire owners. Funnily enough there are some people who feel there are more important things in life than money.

Extortion is a serious crime which is always investigated . Lots of libel going on in this thread.Pretty funny Katz is now a alleged felon . I heard he kicks puppies as well . This thread is getting hilarious. He is investing billions just to extort some more.

 

[I am the Liquor]

Extortion is a serious crime which is always investigated . Lots of libel going on in this thread.Pretty funny Katz is now a alleged felon . I heard he kicks puppies as well . This thread is getting hilarious. He is investing billions just to extort some more.

I guess we can add extortion and libel to the list of words that you don't understand the meaning of.

 

[VainGretzky]

For people who wants realistic knowledge of what is going on is phase one alone is about 2 billion dollars in development employing tons of people during construction and many full time jobs after completion http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/forumdisplay.php?f=38 Phase 2 will be well over a billion as well again creating numerous construction jobs and sustaining many other local business with revenue flow from the construction. Katz Group sets sights on downtown Edmonton residential towers and all this so he can extort the city into an arena that he will lease for 35 years . Darryl you are the dumbest con man ever you should of walked after you got the arena deal

 

[VainGretzky]

I guess we can add extortion and liable to the list of words that you don't understand the meaning of.

Your weak insults make me laugh , if you think they matter to me try again I raised 3 kids that hit the age of 12. And keep extorting that welfare