So do you still want that domed event complex?
Here's how you go about it. I'm letting you in on the master plan, at no additional cost for consultancy fees.
It's not that magical, it's been done before.
You start with the private sector because they're the ones who will benefit the most. We might as well start with the hotels in Regina that originally pledged $10 million for the project. At the time everyone proclaimed this was generous.
I say, not really. Try $70 million over 10 years. A one or two per cent room tax applied to each room and don't tell me it's against regulations. That's where our legislators get lobbied. They do their job, and the hotels pony up a bigger share, using new money. They know how much additional action they'll be getting from a closed event complex and it's worth more than $3.3 million per year. Restaurants should be included, but we won't count them.
Next we call on the big shooters.
PotashCorp of Saskatchewan promised they would be better corporate citizens if they were allowed to remain in business here. Let them prove it with $70 million up front. We know what they don't pay in royalties, so why not make it up to us with a grateful donation? Think that's too much? How does $45 billion sound? Remember what was going to go down if the sale had gone through? Mosaic and Agrium can chip in with another $30 million between them. While we're at it, that profit centre named Cameco can handle $15 million. Heck, the presidents and chairmen of these corporations make more than that in basic salaries before the shareholders get considered. So they can't holler foul or poverty. We know the numbers and how they roll and it's not in Chevy Cavaliers.
The next stop is at the Viterra headquarters, then over to Evraz and then to the multiple oil and mining companies that are reaping huge rewards from Saskatchewan and have been for several years. Twenty million from Viterra and $30 million from all the rest of them. Amortize over 10 years if they think they must, but again, they could handle it all in two years and still not irritate shareholders.
Our chartered banks make billions of profit every quarter. I'm sure some of that came from Saskatchewan. Six of them, $6 million. I know, that's letting them off easy, but you know those banks and how they work.
Next we hop on over to Federated Co-operatives. We know what they scoop up every year too, so $20 million is within their realm of reality in 10 years and when they do, that will trigger embarrassment for companies like Sobeys, Safeway and Wal-Mart who won't want to be outdone. Let's say $5 million from each to represent all their Saskatchewan profit centres.
Now we turn to the regulators again, who we recall, are off the hook so they should be more than happy to adhere to requests.
Saskatchewan Lotteries launches a special "Dome Draw" every Thursday night. Tickets on sale throughout Western Canada for $2 each or three for $5, available at any lottery outlet. Do it in any form; scratch and win, straight draw with numbers or play along bingo, I don't care.
What I do care about is the additional $10 million or more we'll make in perpetuity after the original $100 million is provided in the first 10 years. Link the casino operations to the stadium too both the provincial and the First Nations units and they get special privileges in return. Heck, the stadium can be built with a direct breezeway to Casino Regina if you get a decent architect. Thirty million from all of them sounds fair.
Last stop, the City of Regina itself. They're the only government that will be asked to participate, because they will be the major benefactors. Let's say $500,000 in cash yearly for six years and work-in-kind in the form of free clean up by city employees after each major event.
OK, I'm too lazy to add this all up, but it's probably over $400 million and that's being light on the corporate giving side. Have you noted, no mention of any football team in this plan? Add them in if you think they belong.
Workable? It's happened in about 450 other places in North America, no reason why it couldn't work in Saskatchewan.
Of course if you really wanted to include governments, we could ask for twenty bucks from the federal government just to humiliate them and maybe get a $30 to $50 million shot from the provincial piggy bank after one of our "bonus" years when resource revenues top even the wildest predictions, something that happens with increasing regularity.
I guess it just depends on how much we want it.
Now who wants to be our fund-raising chairperson?
