A new, big picture
Currently we don’t have a well-crafted and comprehensive plan for the future development of the city
I attended both of the mayoral candidates’ debates last week. They were both well organized and addressed important issues.
I was left wondering about the proposal in the Eastern Gateway plan for the development of a Multi-Use Sport and Entertainment Centre (MUSEC) and the discussion around the current role of CADC.
The Eastern Gateway Plan that was developed and which the city has accepted included a proposal for the MUSEC on the property currently occupied by the government garage operations. Subsequent to that, the city council appointed a special committee that examined the proposal and recommended that the planning should proceed. That does not mean that there is a commitment to the MUSEC, but it does mean that it is accepted as a planning objective and there is a need to explore it fully and bring it to a point where a meaningful decision can be reached.
The concern is a very fair one — that we may not be able to afford it. In my view, we start by accepting the work that has already been done by the committee set up by Mayor Lee and use it as the basis for an in-depth effort aimed at a decision — do we do this or not?
My thinking about how it should proceed is summarized as follows:
Decide that the facility, if developed, will be owned by a corporation in which the city will own the majority of the shares. Shares will also be owned by the communities of Stratford and Cornwall. This is meant to reflect the reality that the facility will be a regional facility in its scope and operations.
Ensure that there is a strong board of men and women who have varied experience in the operation of serious business.
Establish a foundation to raise 10 million dollars in private donations thereby reducing the capital cost.
Establish a framework that will see the remaining capital cost, after the private sector commitments, split between the federal, provincial, and municipal governments.
Develop a business plan that will demonstrate and ensure that the facility, without debt, would be able to operate as a business with a bottom line that is positive. The debt which would accrue to the municipalities would be repaid over 25 years from taxes on the economic activity created in the area by the operation of the facility.
To those who say this would not be possible, I would say maybe not, but we will not know until we try, and if we don’t try we are passing on an amazing opportunity without the effort that it deserves.
When it comes to the future of CADC we need first of all to be clear about the situation. CADC still exists without a viable role in the economic development of the city. Its shares are all owned by the province.
It was successful in its time for two very important reasons:
In the early days, the Comprehensive Development Plan for P.E.I. did not contain a program for urban renewal. Money was diverted in the budget to launch a planning process in the urban communities. As a result, the Stevenson and Kellogg report became the plan.
CADC was established to implement the plan. It was structured with a very strong board of business people who ran its activities like a business. They were able to identify funds from various government and private sources. The rest is history — a lot was accomplished, mistakes were made, but consistent progress resulted. None of it would have been possible without the plan.
Currently we don’t have a wellcrafted and comprehensive plan for the future development of the city. We do have a land use plan and plans for various activities, but we need a new big picture. That plan will define what is needed to implement it — perhaps another CADC or perhaps some other different mechanism. I would say that our chances of getting it right without a good plan are nil — it’s how it worked before and it is how it needs to be done now and in the future.
We do have a land use plan and plans for various activities, but we need a new big picture. That plan will define what is needed to implement it — perhaps another CADC or perhaps some other different mechanism. I would say that our chances of getting it right without a good plan are nil — it’s how it worked before and it is how it needs to be done now and in the future.