Bigger is better
When it comes to city rankings, Toronto is used to being a top gun. The Economist magazine named us the best place to live in 2015. Metropolis Magazine has also deemed us the most livable city in the world. And the Global Financial Centres Index ranked us the second most influential financial centre in North America and eighth in the world.
But when it comes to conventions, Toronto can’t hold a candle to such cities as Chicago, Orlando and Las Vegas, all of which have facilities with 2 million square feet or more of exhibition space. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre has just a fraction of that: 600,000 square feet. More problematic for large conventions that need contiguous space, it is divided into three levels in two different wings.
Indeed, the centre ranks a lowly 33rd in North America in terms of available space. And that means it has to turn away “the best and the brightest from around the world,” says Mayor John Tory. That includes trade shows for important industries and scientific organizations whose visitors might decide to invest in the city.
That’s why Premier Kathleen Wynne should heed Tory’s request this weekfor provincial help to build a new or expanded centre.
The last time a decision was made to double the size of the convention centre was in 1993. Thenpremier Bob Rae invested $75 million in the $180million project to help create jobs, spur consumer spending and boost tourism. We could get the same benefits today from a new or expanded centre.
And it might be eligible for some of the infrastructure funding the federal government is doling out.
The existing centre hosts 175,000 convention-goers per year who spend $300 million here. By some estimates, a bigger centre might bring in twice as much to the city, by some estimates.
Three years ago, Oxford Properties Group put forward an ambitious proposal to expand the centre and make Toronto one of the top 10 destinations in North America for large conventions. But that project included a casino, something the city vetoed, as well as a hotel, a sprawling urban park and two office towers. A plan on that scale would still be a welcome addition to the city.
What’s needed is a nod of approval from the province to get the ball rolling.
The existing centre hosts 175,000 convention-goers per year who spend $300 million here. With a bigger centre the city might bring in twice as much