n00bxQb
Registered User
- Jul 26, 2010
- 3,178
- 524
As someone who lives in Duncan and works in Nanaimo, I wish Duncan was only 20 minutes south of Nanaimo More like 40-50 minutes depending on traffic.The problem with this proposal was not the fact that it was being funded with public money, but that it was rushed, and was rushed primarily because of an artificial deadline set by the WHL.
Having followed politics in BC at the provincial and municipal level for two decades, I can't think of a single major project that went from conception to referendum in less than three months. That timeline is crazy for an $80 million project in a city of less than 100,000. I've talked to people who have sat as municipal councillors in communities around the province; they said the way to get something like this approved is to put it in front of the public for a year to 18 months, but to start talking about the actual benefits beyond a WHL team - which would fill the building 36 nights a year.
Nanaimo is pretty well suited to be an entertainment hub for about 300,000 people from Duncan (20 minutes south) to Campbell River (90 minutes north). A 5,000-seat arena brings in a lot of B-List acts. You don't get the major arena shows, but a lot of good Canadian bands would come to a facility like that, plus some of the aging rock shows and the up-coming acts. Shows that people would have otherwise had to go to Victoria to see would add a date in Nanaimo with a facility of that size, which is a net benefit to the community, beyond the addition of another ice facility. Then you have the possibility of attracting significant sports championships (World Women's tournament, perhaps or national or world curling championships) and you start to see an advantage to a new facility.
But the entire proposal was "vote to spend $80 million for a hastily planned arena and we'll bring the Kootenay Ice here." That was doomed to fail.
I agree with you on everything else.
Recent census populations:
Nanaimo - 104,900
Parksville - 28,900
Duncan - 44,500
Port Alberni - 25,100
Courtenay - 54,200
Campbell River - 37,900
Roughly 300,000 population within a 90-minute drive of Nanaimo, about 200,000 within a 60-minute drive.
It's mind boggling how little Nanaimo takes advantage of it when it comes to drawing people in (and keeping their own people in) to town to spend money.